Nathan Cullen never backed a merger, he backed having joint nomination meetings between the NDP, Greens and Liberals in ridings where the Conservatives won with less than 50% to avoid vote splitting. Simply nonsense that certain people perpetuate because for some reason they don't like the man.
Okay - that's not true either.
It was widely reported as a merger proposal. See:
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/regina-leader-post/20111228/281887295...
Also many who have followed the story and saw it as that actually like Cullen.
It is also was debated whether the kind of electoral coalition he meant could have been undone after anyway. also debatable as to whether the result was a temproary merger or coalition or what.
It is not reasonable to say all those who refer to it dislike Cullen. Most dislike any rapprochement with the Liberals and feared that.
I met Cullen during the leadership campaign a couple times in Ottawa. I certainly did like him.
I don't care what a collumnist at some newspaper's take on what Cullen proposed is. Could you point to one video or quote where Cullen says "I want to merge the NDP with the Liberal party", because even that article you posted says that his proposal was exactly what I said it was.