Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Nathan Cullen has officially decided not to run for the BC NDP leadership. Cullen had entertained the idea after being heavily touted as a successor to Adrian Dix.
Cullen was regarded as a possible frontrunner in the party's search for a new leader, following Dix’s resignation after his devastating loss to Liberal Premier Christy Clark in the May 2013 provincial election.
In an open letter to his supporters, Cullen said that he wanted to follow through on a commitment he made to Jack Layton to help the party form the next federal government.
“I have made this decision with a greater depth and breadth of consultation and personal reflection than almost any other in my personal or professional life. These conversations have led me to believe in two fundamental truths,” said Cullen. “First, that stopping Stephen Harper will take all of our talents and energies over the next 18 months and BC will be the final battle ground in that struggle. And, second, that all the elements exist, the passion and creativity, to renew and rebuild the BC NDP in time to take government in 2017.”
Cullen said he was “humbled and made a better person for the process I have gone through over the past few months,” and cited pivotal fights such as Enbridge’s Northern Gateway in his decision to stay on as an MP for northwestern BC.