Alex Cullen is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former MPP in the provincial legislature and a current member of Ottawa City Council, representing the Bay ward in Ottawa's west end.

Cullen was born in Montreal and attended Lower Canada College before moving to Ottawa to attend Carleton University. He then went to York University, where he obtained a degree in economics and returned to Ottawa to work for the federal Department of Health.

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 Ontario election, he ran as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Ottawa West but lost to Tory incumbent Rueben Baetz by about 3,000 votes. Cullen again sought the Liberal nomination to run in the riding in the 1987 Ontario election, but lost to local lawyer Bob Chiarelli.

He remained on the school board and was 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 city council in 1988 against incumbent Jacquelin Holzman in the Richmond ward against incumbent, but lost after a contentious election. When Holzman successfully ran 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. His most notable action was a failed campaign to have condom machines installed in city buildings. He continued to remain active in the constitutional debate, speaking out against the Charlottetown Accord. He also became well known for his verbosity, leading city council to introduce the "Cullen Amendment" limiting speeches to five minutes.

He 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 the transportation board after he leaked information to the Ottawa Citizen about negotiations between the city and OC Transpo workers.

In 1997, Bob Chiarelli resigned form the provincial parliament to run for Regional Chair. In the subsequent Ottawa West by-election, Cullen ran for the Liberals and was 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 an unequal place in Confederation.

This vote made him unpopular within the Liberal Party. In the run- up to the 1999 Ontario 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 eight days later, and subsequently won the NDP nomination in the riding.

Many believed the Cullen had a good chance of being re-elected, but he placed a poor third. He and Chiarelli split the Liberal vote, allowing Tory Garry Guzzo to emerge as the surprise winner.

After his defeat he became head of the Council on Aging lobby group. With the creation of the new city of Ottawa in 2000, Cullen entered to race to represent the Bay Ward. He emerged victorious, defeating four other candidates in a close race. 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, however. He joined Peter Hume in the successful effort to curtail pesticide use in Ottawa. He was also the driving force behind a council motion condemning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

In the 2003 Ottawa election, Cullen fended off a strong challenge from more conservative candidate John Blatherwick. After the election he emerged as one of the most important councilors, playing a central role in the 2004 budget debate.

External links

• City biography