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Harper's 'Ideology Run Amok': Cullen

New Dem leadership candidate Nathan Cullen on taxes, Enbridge, changing the voting system, and more.

By Andrew MacLeod, 5 Dec 2011, TheTyee.ca

NathanCullen

Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen: 'I'm finding hunger on the ground'.

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When the job to lead the British Columbia New Democratic Party came open a year ago, there were those who thought Nathan Cullen should enter the race.

The member of parliament for Skeena-Bulkley Valley lives in Smithers and had been the environment critic for the federal party. He was vocal on issues important to many British Columbians, including oil tanker traffic, pipelines and coalbed methane.

To certain people who wanted a greener provincial NDP and a possible premier with a strong environmental side, Cullen seemed perfect for the job Adrian Dix eventually won.

Cullen said at the time he was considering entering the race, but the timing for him was wrong. His twin boys were then five months old.

When he decided not to run, however, he played down the family factor and stressed that there was still much work he wanted to do federally. A year later he's in the running to lead the federal party, a job that came open with Jack Layton's death.

Decided at Layton funeral

"It's hard, man," Cullen said, when asked how he might balance being leader, perhaps prime minister, with having two now 15-month-old boys at home in northern B.C. "There's no way around this. We all make choices."

Speaking on the phone from Edmonton, where he was on a mid-November campaign stop, he cited a strong community and a supportive spouse, Diana, who made it possible to enter the race. "My ability to be generous with myself is directly predicated on her ability to manage twin boys. She amazes me."

Cullen, 39, does describe seeking the leadership as something that comes down to a kind of generosity, a commitment to public service. "There's not an enormous amount of ego hooked up in this for me, which may be difficult to contemplate," he said. "This has not been a conspiracy of mine for many years and months."

He'd discussed the idea of one day running for leader with people like Layton and former leader Ed Broadbent, but knowing he wanted to run didn't come "until sitting in Roy Thomson Hall that day in Toronto" at Layton's funeral.

The ceremony focussed on generosity and how often that's lacking in public life, Cullen said. People had been urging him to run, and it seemed something he could contribute, he said.

Joint nomination proposal

Since entering the race, Cullen's biggest splash was with a proposal to hold joint nomination meetings between the NDP, Liberals and Green Party in ridings now held by the Conservatives.

The idea is to get past partisan politics, avoid splitting votes and consolidate the anyone-but-Harper ballots making it impossible for the prime minister to win another majority government with only 40 per cent of the votes.

"This is a step towards electoral reform, because we need to change the voting system," he said. "This is a proposal in part dictated by this moment. In this moment we need to challenge the political orthodoxy."

Replacing the voting system with one that better reflects the popular vote, such as a mixed member proportional system, has long been an NDP position. And while political parties tend to forget their commitments to electoral reform once they form the government, Cullen said for him "It's the first order of business."

Introducing such a system would make it unnecessary for parties to co-ordinate in the way he's proposing for the 2015 election. "It's one time," he said.

Politics have become frustratingly narrow, all focused on wedge issues and campaigns targeting small pockets of voters, he said. "We need to undermine that and show we can do things differently."

On the issues

Going into the leadership contest, a third of the NDP's 90,000 members were in British Columbia. That could give Cullen, the only B.C. MP in the race, an advantage.

And he does see several key issues from a perspective that will resonate in the province.

Prime Minister Harper is right that the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline proposal, which would take tar sands oil from Alberta to Kitimat, is a "no brainer", he said. "I agree with him, but in the opposite way. You'd have to have no brains to approve this thing."

It's "a real shame" Harper has been saying the pipeline will be approved, even though the hearings on it are yet to happen, he said.

Last year Cullen introduced a motion, which passed, to ban tanker traffic on the province's north and central coasts. "This fight is personal for me obviously," he said. "This is a fight we're going to win."

The senate, where B.C. is horribly under represented, should be abolished, not reformed, he said. The recent proposal to raise the province's number of seats in the House of Commons -- along with Alberta, Ontario and Quebec's -- is "most of the way there," he said.

He's critical of Harper's abandonment of housing and enthusiasm on crime: "Building dozens of prisons is not an affordable housing strategy, despite what the prime minister thinks."

He supports treating first nations more fairly. "By every measure we can find, the Indian Act and the way we've gone about governing first nations has failed," he said. The government trails many companies that understand the reality of aboriginal rights and title, he said.

And he's supportive of his opponent Brian Topp's proposal to make the tax system more fair. "Tax is not a four letter word," he said, noting it has to be talked about carefully by the party. "We need to stay away from overheated rhetoric about eating the rich."

Harper has said there are no good taxes, Cullen said. "That kind of ideology is dangerous when it's run amok, and that's where we are in Parliament," he said. "We can have a grown-up conversation about this with Canadians and they're not going to run screaming to the hills."

Support of BC MLAs

Cullen has already picked up endorsements from four of the province's MLAs, including three who represent constituencies in the north -- Doug Donaldson, Gary Coons and Robin Austin. The fourth is Norm Macdonald, who represents Columbia River-Revelstoke and is a former mayor of Golden.

"I am supporting Nathan because he understands the challenges this country faces and is capable of delivering on his commitment for a progressive government," said Coons in a statement posted on Cullen's website. "Nathan is a tireless community advocate, has represented his constituents well and has inspired young people to get involved in politics to help build a better Canada."

Austin cited Cullen's communication skills and Donaldson spoke about his ability to draw people together from diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

"Nathan Cullen is one of Canada’s most exciting and inspiring political talents," said Macdonald. "His progressive views are firmly grounded in the politics of rural British Columbia where common sense and hard work are highly valued."

Topp, who also has strong connections to the provincial party, is the only one of the nine candidates so far with more endorsements from B.C. MLAs.

Cullen figures B.C. will be central to the decision, but there's a long way to go until the March 24, 2012 vote. Anyone who joins the party before mid-February will have a vote, he said. "I think the numbers will balance out."

Memberships are moving fast, he said, including in Quebec where the party has had few members but elected 59 of the province's 75 MPs. "I'm finding an enthusiasm and a hunger on the ground that's probably unheard of in NDP leadership races before."

On Dec. 10, the focus of the race will be on the Vancouver, where candidates will gather for a townhall-style meeting at the B.C. NDP convention. [Tyee]

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.

24 Comments:

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  • igbymac

    24 weeks ago

    Like Obama's squandered opportunity in 2009

    A Canadian leader should first and foremost insist on the rule of law being upheld. Obama failed miserably despite the political capital he had around the globe. I almost assuredly know the next PM will fail miserably as well since this reality does not register with a single one of them.

    Until a Canadian leader can link together our involvement in war -- a breach of our International Pact, and its use as a economic policy under our capitalist dogma, with its fall-out being human and ecological suffering, we are just digging our own graves.

    Maybe a little historical perspective would help the lot of them out: The Rothschild formula, to begin; or the international Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928 outlawing warfare for all.

  • Fiat lux

    24 weeks ago

    If we believe the textbook

    If we believe the textbook definition of economics as "The science for the management and distribution of scarce resources", which defines physical realities and not imaginary , faith based values controlled by special interests, it becomes obvious that environmentalism, the physical realities surrounding and keeping us alive, is the real economics.

    As far Harper is concerned he's working at the intelligence level of 10 year olds, warped by screwball beliefs and miseducation.

    He's going to go wild next year, selling Canada off to the idiot twins of the capitalists on one side and the communists on the other.

    Ed Deak.

  • ron wilton

    24 weeks ago

    Harper had his brain addled

    Harper had his brain addled long before that shaman economics guru at U of A dumped the addle on to the skillet and fried it to a crisp.

    At least ten year olds aren't trying to destroy our country and everything we believe in.

    Too bad we have to wait for the historians to tell us that the most pernicious, destructive 'leaders' in our history were Dubyah, Harpo and Pinochio.

  • boondoggle

    24 weeks ago

    The Neocon Challenge

    Many people believe "Neo Conservatives" hold views similar to the traditional Conservative party. Nothing could be further from the truth. The godfather of the Neocon movement was an intellectual disciple of Machiavelli named Leo Strauss. Strauss was a German Zionist who immigrated to the US in the 1930s and mentored people like William Kristol and Paul Wolfowitz while advocating his philosophy of a dog-eat-dog world. Neocons believe the nations they rule should be on a permanent war footing. Leadership ought not be encumbered by human rights discourse or a moral conscience but nonetheless must "appear" to advocate such ideas. Rulers need not observe the laws they impose on the ruled. A ruler can cheat and lie and do all sorts of things but should at all times maintain the outside appearance of adherence to human rights and caring for people. Outside threats help ensure social cohesion under domestic leadership Altruism, environmental protection, justice etc, are not the concern of governments and ruling elites. Strauss questioned how, and to what extent, freedom and excellence can coexist. Strauss was very pre-occupied with secrecy because he was convinced that the truth is too harsh for any society to bear; and that the truth-bearers are likely to be persecuted by society, especially a liberal society because liberal democracy is about as far as one can get from the truth as Strauss understood it. Strauss believed secular society is the worst possible thing, because it leads to individualism, liberalism, and relativism, precisely those traits that may promote dissent that in turn could dangerously weaken society's ability to
    cope with external threats. This is the ideology which has destroyed the world economy starting with Regan, Thatcher, Clinton, Bush and now Obama. This is also Harper's Neocon ideology making him a star candidate to represent the .0001% power elite who are also fanatical psychopathic Neocons. These fanatics control the media and as Noam Chomsky has detailed in his book "Manufacture Consent" for their policies. They are unquestionably the biggest threat Canadians and indeed the world community have ever faced. Removing these people from power is the biggest challenge the human race has ever faced and the urgency is a matter of our very survival. Good luck Nathan!

  • metacomet

    24 weeks ago

    Electoral and Senate Reform

    It's curious that Cullen endorses electoral reform but abolition, not reform, of the Senate, when the it has the potential to accommodate a Pro-Rep system. It is almost moot to contemplate changing either the Senate or the voting system because of constitutional amending difficulties. It might be more doable if both could be amended together: the Senate reformed by making it elected by Pro-Rep or, conversely, a reformed voting system would be instituted in the Senate.
    Both SMP and PR have their pros and cons but a Mixed-Member system is a poor compromise because it mixes two competing and potentially uncooperative legitimacies that might hinder legislation in the House. Better to have SMP in the House, and PR in the Senate. BC twice rejected one type of PR, Single-Transferable-Vote, partly because it was considered too big a change for the Legislative Assembly, and partly because of the distracting controversy over STV rather than PR in general. Canada, unlike the provinces, has a Senate that could accommodate PR. Furthermore, since the Senate's empowered only to approve and amend legislation, not make it, the consequential risk of installing PR there, as opposed to the House, might be more amenable to voters. In this sense the choice of PR system does not threaten to become an unduly dominating issue.
    The current Senate is such and odd duck that the argument to abolish it seems compelling: designed to accommodate feudal nobility, it was misappropriated to Canada; supposed to represent regional interests (Provinces have no other constituted forum), it is insensibly non-elected; seats are (nearly) apportioned by respective provincial populations, yet provinces are equally sovereign and should each have an equal number of seats; regions are supposed to define nationalistic interests, yet First Nations are not represented; etc. Nevertheless, considering a reformed Senate's potential to solve a number of issues (like electoral reform), abolishing it would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

  • ron wilton

    24 weeks ago

    impediments removed

    [ADVOCATING VIOLENCE, EVEN OBLIQUELY, IS NOT ALLOWED IN THIS FORUM. COMMENT REMOVED. -MODERATOR.]

  • Fiat lux

    24 weeks ago

    boondoggle....Excellent

    boondoggle....Excellent analysis.

    Strauss was apparently also one of the professors of Harper, which all that born psycho needed.

    What boggles the mind is how anybody could vote for visible mental cases ?

    Ed Deak.

  • Ziggy

    24 weeks ago

    Cullen

    A breath of fresh air -- although how can liberals, greens (conservatives) and new democrats come together when are interests are different - liberals -- lots of support for big businesses, green supported by big business and ndp floundering with little business support. Guess who would win the nomination.

  • OwlRol

    24 weeks ago

    Politicians, voters & elections

    Let's not forget that Freidman, Chicago school of economics, fully adopted by U. of A.

    Ed, you "harp" on Stevie's understanding as being that of a 12 year old, yet, with his PMO handlers, he comes across as really smooth and reasonable to many viewer voters who want to hear that soothing message during uncertain times. More smarts there than appears outwardly, despite the sociopathic glimpses not always noticed by the general public.

    That is likely why the voting systems of B.C. and Canada have not been upgraded. FPP is simple and straightforward (and favour the elite), whereas STV was confusing and uncertain to the average, 12 year old appeal. Too much to consider for the less than important voting responsibility when it is touted to change nothing. Just lower taxes, build prisons and leave us alone.

    I'll never forget the "Eeny, meeny, miney, moe" method of voting used by some, one reason why voting should never be compulsory. Better that such do not add to the electoral confusion.

    Nathan Cullen is a breath of fresh air during these increasingly polluted times. The NDP have a few of these (by no means the entire party), smart and wanting to put the choices and well being of B.C.ers and Canadians ahead of their own political ambitions.

    This is also true of some Conservatives, but gagged and party whipped into line. It is surely not true at the cabinet level, or much of the mainstream media who promote them.

  • x4estworker

    24 weeks ago

    Cullen too close to Greens

    Nathan Cullen is far too closely aligned with environmental groups for me to ever support his leadership bid. While environmental issues are important, the NDP cannot have a leader that will simply do the bidding of multi-national environmental groups.

    Particularly of concern was a news story a couple of months ago in which the Harper government refused funding from several big American environmental foundations for a project involving the federal government on the BC North and Central Coast. Mr. Cullen condemned the Harper government's move. However, in this case Harper and his government made the right decision. There is no way that American environmental foundations should be allowed to provide money for processes that will result in land-use decisions and land use projects in Canada. This is just the latest form of American imperialism, and you would think that as an NDPer, Mr. Cullen would be more sensitive to issues like this of Canadian sovereignty. That to me indicates his support of environmental groups is not tempered by any consideration of what is best for Canada.

  • Frank Lee

    24 weeks ago

    PR Senate

    If we had a PR Senate, almost 1./4 of the Seats in Parliament would be PR--governments wouldn't be able to control it, becaquse there would be more parties.
    IN a way it makes good sense: the House of COmmons would be the HOuse of COnfidence, where stability would be at a greater premium; the PR Senate could defeat budgets without bringing the GOvernment down

  • igbymac

    24 weeks ago

    x4estworker

    Mr. Cullen condemned the Harper government's move. However, in this case Harper and his government made the right decision. There is no way that American environmental foundations should be allowed to provide money for processes that will result in land-use decisions and land use projects in Canada. This is just the latest form of American imperialism, and you would think that as an NDPer, Mr. Cullen would be more sensitive to issues like this of Canadian sovereignty.

    Was the money provided with strings?

    Every time you vote, you get the entire package of the Party. They all support Canada's involvement in NATO, and thus our use of war as a policy means to economic liberty. Now there's a string tying your vote to murder. Funny how I don't hear you championing the cause to cut 'that string'. Perhaps it just isn't important enough.

  • Fiat lux

    24 weeks ago

    If we should not accept

    If we should not accept funding from environmental organizations, why should we sell the country to multinationals to take control of our resources and dictate on what laws we may pass under various treaties, like the WTO and Chapter 11 of the NAFTA, that may cut into their profits. ?

    The forest industry is among the worst cases of overcapitalization, where only a small fraction of the benefits reach the workers and the people, with the vast majority ending in the pockets of the banks and "investors" playing the stockmarkets.

    Ed Deak.

  • x4estworker

    24 weeks ago

    2 wrongs don't make a right

    Money always comes with strings. If you do not toe the party line, like meet the objectives of the environmental foundation, then you will not get any more money. And do not believe for a minute that environmental groups act in the public interest. They have their own ideological agenda that is definitely at odds with the greater good in most cases.

    Exerting undue influence is a primary definition of imperialism. American imperialism is unacceptable whether it has to do with the American government exerting undue influence, multinational American-based corporations exerting undue influence, or multinational American-based environmental foundations exerting undue influence. It is all bad. As Canadians, we have to have control of our own destiny.

  • pwlg

    24 weeks ago

    I am glad the writer spent

    I am glad the writer spent most of the article talking about Cullen's ideas. The bit about his family reasons for not running and running was not needed and just wasted space.

  • Granville

    24 weeks ago

    Harper is an oil-industry whore

    ... and we spent 20 years hoping to see a westerner at 22 Sussex Place. Be careful what you ask for.

    Harpie, Baird and now Kent are dismantling everything Canada stood for. We used to burn witches, but only the ones that floated.

    Time to see if these guys would float or sink.

  • igbymac

    24 weeks ago

    x4estworker

    "Money always comes with strings. If you do not toe the party line, like meet the objectives of the environmental foundation, then you will not get any more money."

    At worst you take their money-charity and spend it advancing the 'right' cause. What have you lost?

  • x4estworker

    24 weeks ago

    igbymac

    Well, the right cause is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it. If you take the money and spend it in a manner inconsistent with what the environmental foundation thinks is appropriate, you will never get any more money from that source. Which means that if you are going to spend that money on the BC mid coast for various projects that involve the federal government, the money needs to be spent in a way that meets the approval of the environmental foundation. The objectives of the environmental foundation are more likely than not to be inconsistent with the public interest.

    As a parliamentarian, Mr. Cullen should be considering the variety of interests utilizing resources in the mid-and north coasts, and not just the deep ecologists and other assorted environmental special interests.

  • RickW

    24 weeks ago

    $100 billion of useless weaponry.....

    ....during a time of economic uncertainty? A 12-year old mentality for sure.

  • RickW

    24 weeks ago

    $100 billion of useless weaponry.....

    ...in a time of "fragile recovery". How does this square?

  • elmer kabush

    24 weeks ago

    voting turn out

    The voter turn out has something to do, I believe, with the change
    in life style from a basic rural lifestyle with small towns about every
    10 miles along the CPR right away to encourage settlers on the
    prairies and of course ten miles was a good average distant for
    a horse to travel to town in a reasonable amount of time. Voters
    met every week end at church or in the local community hall. But
    now voters have spread their wings by car and plane and don't
    share a common job such as being farmers. Without a collective
    sense of responsibility pushing for individuals to talk out issues, there is little push towards making your friends to get and vote.

  • elmer kabush

    24 weeks ago

    voting turn out

    The voter turn out has something to do, I believe, with the change
    in life style from a basic rural lifestyle with small towns about every
    10 miles along the CPR right away to encourage settlers on the
    prairies and of course ten miles was a good average distant for
    a horse to travel to town in a reasonable amount of time. Voters
    met every week end at church or in the local community hall. But
    now voters have spread their wings by car and plane and don't
    share a common job such as being farmers. Without a collective
    sense of responsibility pushing for individuals to talk out issues, there is little push towards making your friends to get and vote.

  • robertjb2

    24 weeks ago

    The Rebirth of the Reform Party

    The Rebirth of the Reform Party
    Thanks go to Peter MacKay- “just along for the ride”
    When Peter MacKay broke his promise to David Orchard at the 2003 PC Party leadership convention and merged with Harper’s Alliance(originally the Reform Party) immediately thereafter he showed remarkably poor judgment as this was never a merger but a takeover. He rescued Harper’s party from political oblivion as it was at that time a dead-ended regional party unable to establish national appeal.
    MacKay, obligingly, gave Harper and company the conservative banner to hide behind- the cloak of respectability. Now as the Harperites have a majority, the cloak comes off and we see the rebirth of the Reform Party- akin to US Republican reactionary libertarians and laced with utter contempt for democratic and Canadian values.
    MacKay, given a clear mandate to rebuild the party Brian Mulroney destroyed not only gave away the party he sat back and made no attempt to insure the new CPC party really was a coalition-a merger- of the two parties. MacKay was just along for the ride.
    The cunning and Machiavellian Stephen Harper loves politicians who are just along for the ride as they facilitate his dark purpose. The hapless facilitator, Mackay’s reward has been a series of cabinet posts, currently Minister of Defense no less.
    Mackay is along for the ride in another sense as he has a penchant for hitching very expensive helicopter rides at taxpayer’s expense and then lying about it. It also turns out this was not a one-time event but he uses military aircraft as his personal taxi service on a regular basis.
    Canada has a long history of political and economic elites more than willing to sell out the country and who are contemptuous of Canada and Canadian values. Two of the most prominent are Harper, and Mulroney before him. Both men are vindictive ideologues intent on destroying rather than building. Both are contemptuous of good government and its processes.
    Historians might well sum up MacKay’s contribution as somebody who was “ just along for the ride”- whether it be politics or helicopter rides.

  • igbymac

    24 weeks ago

    RickW asks ...

    "$100 billion of useless weaponry.....

    ...in a time of "fragile recovery". How does this square?"

    It doesn't have to square. The government in this country does what it wants to do within the guidelines of not upsetting the common people enough to revolt. Short of that, they don't hear a fcuking word you or I say.