Editor,
Nathan Cullen’s unwillingness to engage in informed discussion about the serious issues I raised in my article ‘Flash mobs for the protest era’ is quite disturbing. By choosing to attack me personally rather than engage with the serious issues that I raised, he sets a poor example at a time when leadership in civil discourse is badly needed.
It’s a bit rich that while Mr. Cullen himself is in a democratically selected public role, he refuses to acknowledge the democratic process of two council votes held in Witset by two different democratically elected chiefs and councils, resulting in majority approval for the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Another instance of free speech being opposed is the recent ban on balanced reporting against APTN journalist Lauri Hamelin while covering the pipeline dispute. It’s not an encouraging trend. By his words and tone, Mr. Cullen shows that he has much work to do in understanding the role of a free press in Canada’s democratic system.
I stand by my original article 100 per cent. I’d be happy to debate Mr. Cullen on these issues in a public forum. I’ve no doubt this would be welcomed by your readers, because since publishing my article I have heard supportive comments from numerous local residents.
Stewart Muir
Victoria