Election cooperation needed for NDP and Canadians: Nathan Cullen
He's been criticized and celebrated, both for his vocal opposition to oil sands pipelines, and his controversial call for the NDP, Liberals and Greens to work together. VO sat down with B.C.'s hopeful to replace Jack Layton.
He may not yet be seen as a front-runner in the New Democratic Party's race to replace late leader Jack Layton, but Smithers, B.C.'s Nathan Cullen has been turning heads lately – both for his controversial proposal for electoral cooperation, and for his high-profile opposition to the equally controversial Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.
On Friday, the longest-serving Member of Parliament in the party's leadership race will speak before the pipeline's joint review panel. At a campaign fundraising concert in Vancouver last night, attended by 100 local supporters, Cullen turned a few more heads with his non-stop dance moves; by 10:30 p.m., the father of two 17-month old twins was still on the dance floor.
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Last weekend, the four-time elected politician sat down with the Vancouver Observer to talk about his leadership bid, his controversial positions, and his vision for a green economy.
Firing up talks for electoral reform
“The electoral system sucks,” Cullen said, with typical earnestness and cheeky grin.
“We need a one-time offer to get into government and change the voting system.
“I've suggested that we have run-off elections before we have campaigns in Conservative ridings. That's a very post-partisan, evolved kind of politics – it's hard for people steeped in partisanship to come to; you've got to ease them into the conversation. But it guarantees a cooperative or progressive government.”
His vision for electoral reform isn't fully fleshed out yet -- “Some form of mixed member proportional representation – something that says, 'When you vote, your vote will be reflected in the parliament'” -- but Cullen said that his campaign is about starting a conversation, not ending it.
Fellow candidate Peggy Nash countered his proposal this week, telling reporters that cooperating with other parties would force voters to choose parties they might not support.
“What it would mean is it would deny a democratic choice to Canadians,” Nash said.
“In ridings where his plan would be in existence, (they) would not be able to vote for the party of their choice.”
A pro-business environmentalist
Elected in 2004 for the Skeena-Bulkley Valley riding, Cullen has faced his share of challenges – and good luck – over the years. The 39-year old small businessman represents a gigantic riding the size of Norway, covering the communities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Kitimat, Smithers and Haida Gwai. The riding includes significant Indigenous populations, as well as many communities reliant on mining and forestry jobs.
Describing himself as “pro-business” and “environmentalist” -- and someone heavily inspired by elders in First Nations communities throughout his riding – Cullen hopes to show that economy and environment are not mutually exclusive.
“Coming from a small business background, I'm as comfortable in rooms with business types as with environmentalists,” Cullen said.
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(12) Comments
Great article, I 'm a huge fan of Nathan Cullen's he's exactly the type of leader Canada needs.
Thank-you for this article and the statement that said that Nathan is not a front-runner YET . . . the more people who take the opportunity to truly listen to what he says and feel the depth of his committment to the country and people of Canada, the better. His idealism, based in common-sense and obvious ability to see past partisan politics is a breath of fresh air. I too am a great fan and will be supporting him fully in his bid for the leadership of the NDP.
Great article, VO. I've had the chance to meet 4 of the 7 remaining candidates in person, as well as watch three of the debates, and Cullen stood out in all of them. He talked with me, not to me (like the others did), and he wowed me in the debates. I'll admit his cooperation plan seems unconventional, but we've got an unconventional government (and not in a good way). Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Cullen’s cooperation plan with the Liberals really means an NDP/Liberal merger. You cant engage in joint nominations and not have it go further. Jack Layton took Quebec and made opposition status without the help of the Liberals. The NDP does not need to be Liberal, to win the next federal election. Please see my blog at: http://ndpleadership.wordpress.
I'm 63, and re-joined the NDP so I could vote for Nathan Cullen. What Harper is doing to Canada breaks my heart, and the only reason he can do it is that the NDP and Liberals and Greens keep splitting the left/center/Red Tory vote. I encourage every Canadian who cares more about this country than one political party to join the NDP today and vote for Cullen.
I've been an NDP supporter all my life, and I absolutely agree with Nathan Cullen's proposal for trans-partisan cooperation. I do not see it as heralding a Liberal-NDP merger. Rather, I see it as a necessary first step in replacing our current Neanderthal government with a progressive alliance that sees beyond party walls, and then hopefully - hopefully! - paving the way for a truly representative electoral system, likely some form of proportional representation where every individual's vote will truly count! Go Nathan!
Peggy Nash is flat wrong on cooperation; I can't vote for the party I want to NOW, under this stupid system that was designed for two parties, not five or more. I have had to vote strategically every time, for decades! I'm sick of it. Nathan simply has the guts to point out the Emperor's clothes for what they are.
Thanks for this article and comments. Like Bruce B, I've been voting strategically for decades, and I'm tired of it. But I'm struggling with the idea of joining the NDP just to vote for Nathan. I really object, that in joining, one must pledge support for the party to the exclusion of others. Next year I will have a similar motivation to join the Liberals if one of their leadership candidates promotes co-operation, and I suppose that party will have a similar demand for exclusive support. Does anyone else have this inner conflict? I think it's so much more important to rid ourselves of this terrible draconian goverment than it is to pledge enduring loyalty to one of the centre/left parties.
Nathan: I'm a fan. Just one thing. Please stop using the word "suck" to indicate the verb associated with something is unworkable or wrong. Originally using the word suck in that way was a obvious straight putdown of gay men; now common usage has veiled the meaning. For many of us, in and out of the gay community, using that word in that way has always and will always be heard as vulgar and unnecessarily hurtful. I know that is not your intent. Thanks for considering the effect of your words.
One thing for sure - if we keep doing what we have been, we'll keep getting the same results - neo-con fascists leading Canada. Nathan is the only candidate with a doable plan to remove Harper.