Alex Cullen is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and a current member of Ottawa City Council, representing the Bay Ward in Ottawa's west end. A politician is an individual involved in politics. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Other Canadian provinces and territories Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Area 1,076,395 km² (4th) • Land 917,741 km² • Water 158,654 km² (14. ... A Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) is an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. ... The Ontario Legislature Building at Queens Park The Legislative Assembly of Ontario, is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Ottawa City Hall. ...

Cullen was born in Montreal in 1951 and attended Lower Canada College before moving to Ottawa to attend Carleton University. He then went to York University in Toronto, where he obtained a Master's degree in economics, and returned to Ottawa to work for the federal Department of Health and Welfare as a policy analyst. Lower Canada College of Montreal is a prestigious English-language primary and secondary level private school in Quebec. ... This article is about the university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... York University (YorkU) is a large comprehensive university, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ...

He began his political career in 1982, when he was elected as a school board trustee with the Ottawa Board of Education. In the 1985 provincial election, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa West but lost to Ontario Progressive Conservative Party incumbent Reuben Baetz by about 3,000 votes. Easily re-elected as a school board trustee in 1985, Cullen again sought the Liberal nomination to run in the riding in the 1987 election, but lost to local lawyer Bob Chiarelli. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ottawa Board of Education was the public school board for Ottawa from 1970 to 1998. ... David Petersons Liberals, with support from Bob Raes New Democrats, form a minority government despite having fewer seats than Frank Millers Progressive Conservatives. ... The Ontario Liberal Party is a centrist provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. ... Ottawa West is also the name of a neighbourhood, see Ottawa West (neighbourhood) Ottawa West was a Canadian electoral district that existed from 1933 to 1996. ... The Ontario Progressive Conservative Party (PC Party of Ontario, also known as Tories) is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. ... Reuben Conrad Baetz (May 9, 1923—1996) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. ... David Petersons Liberals were returned to power with a large majority. ... Robert (Bob) Chiarelli (born September 24, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) is the current (2005) mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ...

He remained active in Liberal politics, rising to prominence as one of the most vocal opponents of the Meech Lake Accord within the Ontario Liberals. He ran for Ottawa City Council in 1988 against incumbent Jacquelin Holzman in the Richmond Ward, but lost after a contentious election. Cullen became active in local community affairs, and when Holzman vacated the seat to successfully run for mayor in the 1991 election, Cullen ran again and won the seat in a close three-way race. On council he was one of the most leftist members and a frequent opponent of Mayor Holzman. He became well known for his verbosity, leading city council to introduce the "Cullen Amendment" limiting speeches to five minutes. He continued to remain active in the constitutional debate, speaking out against the Charlottetown Accord. The Meech Lake Accord was a set of failed constitutional amendments to the Constitution of Canada proposed by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Robert Bourassa, premier of Quebec. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jacquelin Holzman served as mayor of Ottawa from 1991 to 1997. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Charlottetown Accord was a package of constitutional amendments, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. ...

As an Ottawa City Councillor he also served jointly on the Council of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton and there was also a prominent gadfly. Controversy arose and he was dumped from OC Transpo Commission after he leaked information to the Ottawa Citizen about negotiations between Regional Council and OC Transpo workers. In 1994 Cullen was easily elected as the first Regional Councillor for Bay Ward, when provincial legislation created a directly-elected Regional Council. In 1996, Cullen supported Dalton McGuinty to lead the Ontario Liberal Party (Ottawa Citizen, 2 December 1996). The Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton was a regional government area and census division in Ontario, Canada which existed from 1969 until 2001. ... OC Transpo articulated bus OC Transpo is a company providing transit service to the communities that make up the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The Honourable Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. ...

In 1997, Bob Chiarelli resigned from the Legislature to run for Chair of the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Municipality. In the subsequent Ottawa West by-election, Cullen ran for the Liberals and was easily elected as MPP. He soon gained national prominence as the only provincial legislator in the country to vote against the Calgary Declaration, as he opposed any document that would give Quebec unequal powers under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... On September 14, 1997, all Canadian premiers and territorial leaders (except Quebecs Lucien Bouchard) signed a framework for constitutional reform in Calgary. ... The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is the bill of rights which forms part of the Constitution of Canada adopted in 1982. ...

This vote made him unpopular within the Liberal Party. In the run-up to the 1999 provincial election, Cullen was challenged for the Liberal nomination in the new riding of Ottawa West-Nepean by Rick Chiarelli, a Nepean city councilor. After a contentious nomination battle, Chiarelli emerged victorious with support from party leader Dalton McGuinty and Rick's cousin Bob Chiarelli. Cullen claimed that he had been "knifed in the back", and left the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent on November 15, 1998. He joined the New Democratic Party a few weeks later, and subsequently won the NDP nomination in the riding. The Ontario general election of 1999 was held in the Canadian province of Ontario in the late spring of 1999. ... Rick Chiarelli is a politician in Ontario, Canada. ... Nepean was a suburban municipality adjacent to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada until it was amalgamated with the 10 other municipalities that formed the Regional Municipality of Ottawa Carleton in 2001 to become the new city of Ottawa. ... The Honourable Dalton James Patrick McGuinty Jr. ... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Ontario New Democratic Party (formerly known as the Ontario Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) is a social democratic political party in Ontario, Canada. ...

Many believed that Cullen had a good chance of being re-elected, but he placed a poor third. He and Chiarelli split the Liberal vote, allowing Progressive Conservative candidate Garry Guzzo to emerge as the surprise winner. Garry Guzzo (born November 18, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. ...

After his defeat he became Executive Director of the Council on Aging, a United Way agency and lobby group for seniors. With the creation of the newly amalgamated City of Ottawa in 2000, Cullen entered to race to represent the Bay Ward. He emerged victorious, defeating four other candidates. One of his first actions as councilor was to move to abolish the prayer long that had opened city meetings arguing it should be replaced by a moment of silence; this effort was unsuccessful. He joined Peter Hume in a partially successful effort to curtail pesticide use in Ottawa. He was also the driving force behind a council motion condemning the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Peter Hume is a city councillor in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... The 2003 Invasion of Iraq began on March 20 comprising United States and United Kingdom forces (98%), and several other nations. ...

In the 2003 Ottawa municipal election, Cullen fended off a strong challenge from more conservative candidate John Blatherwick. After the election, he emerged as one of the most important councillors, playing a central role in the 2004 city budget debate. Mayoral popular vote percentage map by city wards. ...

External links

• City biography