NDP MP Cullen under attack over budget stance and Great Bear fallout

The decision of NDP MP Nathan Cullen to vote against the federal Conservative budget has made him number one on the Conservative’s hit parade as far as playing politics goes with the environment. It’s a rather interesting statement considering the lack of bona fides when it comes to all things Environmental and Conservative.

Cullen voted with his party on Tuesday against the Conservatives budget plans, despite the fact that in among the periods, apostrophes and italics were some 30 million dollars in economic development money for residents of the Great Bear rainforest, the last of the rainforests left in the world. Cullen suggested that he voted against the budget despite those 30 million dollars because he didn’t like some of the flaws he saw in the Conservative budget.

He says he stuck with his decision, despite the fact that the Conservatives took successive runs at him to try and make him move his vote to their side on the budget debate, dangling that 30 million dollars in front of him.

For their part, the Conservatives are suggesting that he has gone back on his original word regarding the Great Bear and should be held to account for it.

It would appear that all in all, it was just another day in Parliament, where the rhetoric always seems to outweigh the common good.

The Daily News featured the story on its front page of Friday’s paper.

GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST CASH NOT ENOUGH TO WOO CULLEN
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Friday, June 15, 2007

Page one

After being accused of making a proverbial deal with the devil' to get $30 million in federal funding for the Great Bear Rainforest, Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen is now being attacked by Conservatives for voting against it.

Cullen, a member of the NDP, voted with his party against the budget on Tuesday - and in that budget package was the $30 million pledged by the Conservative government to support economic development for First Nations communities on the Central and North Coasts, as well as the $200 million for British Columbia to fight climate change, help reduce greenhouse gases and tackle air pollution, said the Tories.

"Cullen has long claimed to be an advocate for the Great Bear Rainforest. Yet, when push came to shove, he decided to play politics and actually voted against the $30 million for the Great Bear Rainforest, one of the last remaining temperate rainforests left in the world today," said Conservative MP Mike Warawa, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment.
The attack came after national media alleged earlier this year that Cullen and NDP Leader Jack Layton had made a "strange and risky political alliance" with the Conservatives in order to get the $30 million funding package for the Great Bear Rainforest.

At the time, Cullen denied in the national media that any ultimatums were put on the table to force the Conservatives to come up with the cash in exchange for NDP support.

And on Tuesday, he backed that statement with a vote against the funding because of what he sees as flaws in the Conservative budget.

"The government ran at me just before the budget and sent over a few of their peons and said the Great Bear is in there as well'," said Cullen.

"They thought that because there was one project that I liked, existing within a whole context that I didn't, that I would be somehow be happy voting for a budget that undercut child care, did nothing for the environment and left infrastructure standing."

"It's ridiculous to try and buy off elected representatives that way," said Cullen.

In the meantime, as much as Cullen disagrees with the budget, he does not support the possibility of the Liberal dominated Senate delaying, amending or rejecting the budget.

"Unfortunately, there are reports that unelected, unaccountable Liberal senators are planning to defy their leader, and delay, amend or reject the budget," Conservative House leader Peter Van Loan said at a news conference on Thursday.

"Let us be clear: The senate must pass the budget.

"This is not a time for political games. The democratically-elected House of Commons passed Budget 2007 and the unelected senate has a duty to act in our system."

Cullen said it seems wrong that a body of unelected senators can hold up a nation's budget.
"The senate should simply do their job and pass it on," said Cullen. "It's an over-inflated ego trip that reminds me why my party believes in its (the senate's) abolishment."