Vaughn Palmer

Minister Nathan Cullen briefly took the blame at a news conference for the botched and now abandoned consultations on changes to the Land Act. …The mea culpa did not appear in the text of the news release where Cullen announced that the government plan to amend the Act was being put on hold. What did appear was a self-serving account of the humdinger of a job Cullen had been doing on the consultations. …No, he did not do that from the very beginning. …Only after the secretive consultations were reported did Cullen say that he wished he had been more proactive in involving the public. …“We want to get this right and move forward together,” said Cullen, finally getting to the news of the day. “For that reason, our government has decided not to proceed.” …Had Cullen left it at that, he might have managed a credible exit. But he couldn’t resist taking a partisan swipe at his critics.

Additional Perspectives on NDP pull back:

• Kevin Falcon: BC United statement on NDP pause on Land Act amendments
• Terry Teegee: Regional chief decries ‘fear mongering’ over proposed changes
• Les Laine: NDP retreat on Land Act, blames ‘dog whistle politics
• The Tyee: NDP hits brakes on Land Act Reconciliation Plan

Additional Perspectives on proposed Land Act changes:

• Assoc. of Mineral Exploration: BC will not proceed with proposed amendments
• The Narwhal: Unpacking misinformation on proposed BC Land Act amendments
• Tom Flanagan: NDP tries to rush First Nations veto over BC development