2016 Was a Busy Year for MP Cullen
Smithers, B.C. – From a possible leadership bid to criss-crossing the country surveying Canadians on electoral reform, 2016 was a busy year for Nathan Cullen.
The Skeena-Bulkley Valley NDP MP says one of biggest personal highlights for him though was the final rejection of Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project.
“It was very important for some of us who have been engaging on that project for a long time,” he said during a year-end interview with 250News. “It creates a bit more certainty.”
But on the other hand, he notes the federal government also approved the Pacific Northwest LNG proposal for Lelu Island.
“While I’m encouraged about getting LNG done, I’m discouraged that the government didn’t try and give the company a little bit more room to move the project,” he says.
“I’ve certainly been talking a lot with people in the Prince Rupert area and other places who are concerned about the impact on salmon. There are some options available and we just need the political will to get that done and we can start to do resource development while listening to local concerns.”
Cullen also spent four months travelling the country on a special committee aimed at surveying Canadians on electoral reform.
“And the Liberals have just completely messed this thing up. They had a clear commitment to make the last election the last one we had under first-past-the-post to make every vote count yet have been doing everything they seemingly can to undermine the process all along the way,” he says.
“There’s a lot of people who’ve tried to fill out the mydemocracy.ca survey who try to get through it and can’t get through it or are super frustrated because they never get to answer the questions that seem most obvious to everybody else in the universe.”
Despite the perceived setbacks on the file he hasn’t given up hope though.
“It’s going to take a lot of pressure to get that one done and pressure means a lot of work on the road and in the media just doing everything we can to help them keep their own promise to Canadians.”
Politics aside, Cullen hopes northerners have a great Christmas.
“We get distracted by the presents and the shopping and all the rest, but what’s great about living up here is our community and being outside in it. So just enjoy the time and try not to stress.”
Comments
Well, he’s right about the ‘mydemocracy.ca’ survey. What an utterly hopeless exercise that is. Why didn’t the government simply list the options their Committee has been considering, explain a bit about each, and then ask which one we’d prefer, or if we’d prefer to keep first-past-the-post? That would at least give some indication of what most people might want. Then put the winning choice up against the system we have in a national referendum.
The problem is that the recommendation his committee made requires a constitutional change. Constitutional changes have not gone so well in the past. The Liberals wanted a recommendation that didn’t require a constitutional change.
Single transferable vote would not require a constitutional change, but proportional voting would. Nathan was adamant that he had to have proportional voting and would not concede. The troubling part is that he knew and knows that this requires a constitutional change, but has never once has mentioned this.
Proportional representation is a lot of wing flapping about nothing.
There is absolutely no evidence that the Country would get better Government under this system. What we would get is more politicians from different parties sitting around discussing issues with each other, and we get the opportunity to pay the bills.
Considering that most if not all MP’s do very little for their constituents, and in effect are not even allowed to express opinions on certain subjects, why would more MP’s in parties with the same zipper your mouth mentality give us better Government.??
We need to allow MP’s to express the will of their ridings, this would be the most effective way to smarten up Government.
Electing MP’s to go to Ottawa, but not allowing them to speak or have free votes on contentious issues is a huge waste of time and money.
I may not vote NDP but I see this guy working very hard for the coast and his riding, a good solid work horse for a politician, hope he sticks around.
NDP and CPC will both be selecting new leaders in 2017. Sounds like Nathan Cullen has a good shot at being the party leader and the Conservatives might be getting a Christmas present in the form of Kevin O’Leary. Rumour has it Kevin has been at the tanning salon getting his skin orange and mumbling “believe me folks” in anticipation of a run at the CPC leadership.
He’s got the right stuff for the job, I wish him well.
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