NDP MP Nathan Cullen expands on his disappointment with Tuesday's Pacific NorthWest LNG approval

NDP MP Nathan Cullen is not very
happy with the outcome of the
Federal Government's decision
for Pacific NorthWest LNG

One of the strongest opponents of the potential development of an LNG terminal at Lelu Island has expanded on his first impressions of the Federal Government approval of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project on Tuesday.

Skeena-Bulkley River MP Nathan Cullen, delivered a blistering reproach of the Federal decision today, posting a lengthy review of his thoughts and expressing his disappointment at the path that the Federal government has taken on the Pacific NorthWest file.

The NDP MP who is currently in the Victoria area attending to his duties with the Parliamentary Committee on Electoral reform, took the Liberals to task on a number of themes related to their decision.

His statement, which was issued through his constituency website,  conveys his belief that the Prime Minister had betrayed First Nations, Science and Canada's climate commitments. In his commentary the NDP MP noted that the announcement runs against a promise of more engagement and renewal of relations with the First Nations of the Northwest.

"Justin Trudeau promised to be better than Stephen Harper," ... "Mr. Trudeau promised a new era of renewed relationships with First Nations, but now he is pushing ahead without proper consultation and in spite of opposition from First Nations here in the Northwest and across BC.

The NDP MP also suggests that after Tuesday's announcement, there may not be much difference for Canadians to take note of between the policies of the Liberal Government and those of the previous Conservatives under then Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"Mr. Trudeau promised he would fix Stephen Harper's broken environmental review process. Hundreds of independent scientists have warned the government about the potential for this project to imperil Skeena salmon - the 2nd largest wild salmon run in Canada which contributes $110 million to our economy annually. But instead of listening to scientists as he promised, Mr. Trudeau is basing his decision on Stephen Harper's disgraced review process and discredited company-funded science."

Another of Mr. Cullen's comments on the day offered up the observation that the announcement on Tuesday afternoon took place in Vancouver, far from where the project was to be developed, something he suggests is not the best way to create trust and respect with those of the Northwest.

"The government flew three ministers in to make this announcement from the Vancouver airport, 1,000km away from the people and the territory this project will affect," said Cullen. “This isn’t how you build trust and respect.”

The Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP has long been critical of the location of the proposed development, frequently calling for it to be moved to a location on Ridley Island once proposed for the now dormant BG Gas proposal.

You can follow more items related to the Pacific NorthWest project from our archive page here, further background on the work of Mr. Cullen in Ottawa can be examined from our House of Commons archive.