Ellis Ross has won the Skeena - Bulkley Valley riding, making him the first non-NDP MP in that riding. Photo courtesy: Ellis Ross
Ellis Ross

New Skeena – Bulkley Valley MP Ellis Ross highlights his core focuses

Apr 29, 2025 | 4:44 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Ellis Ross has won the Skeena – Bulkley Valley riding, making him the first non-NDP candidate to hold the riding since its creation in 2004.

“It was a roller coaster night for sure. Didn’t start out looking too promising, but watching the polls change as the night grew longer was actually pretty encouraging,” Ross said.

Ross has been involved in politics for decades, as he was a former BC Liberal MLA and a former Chief Councillor of Haisla Nation. He says his values haven’t changed much in 15 years, and he remains consistent in his core beliefs.

“I’ve always believed in a strong economy. I believe in law and order, and I believe in Aboriginal rights and title for First Nations people,” Ross said.

“People suffering from drugs, that’s partly why I got involved in politics back in 2003 because of the social issues that my people were facing. But it wasn’t drugs back then, it was other social issues, but the new drugs right now are absolutely horrible, and I really want to make an impact on the drug dealers as well as providing treatment for people all across Canada,” Ross continued.

As for Mark Carney, Ross hopes the new Prime Minister and his Liberal Party will be willing to work with the official opposition Conservative Party on key, national issues.

“If the government is willing to do something serious about drugs, especially putting these fentanyl drug dealers behind bars, then it should be reasonable to agree with the government. If they’re willing to actually stop the drug experiment here in B.C. at least, and actually provide real treatment, real funding, towards real treatment for the people who are suffering, then it’s possible to work together,” Ross said.

The election cycle was dominated by U.S. President Donald Trump, and Ross says there’s no denying U.S. relations will have a huge impact on our economy and inflation. He believes his riding can play a large role in geopolitics going forward and hopes to strengthen both Skeena – Bulkley valley, and the entire country.

“We have all the components to actually create a strong economy for Canada. We have the port in Prince Rupert, we have the port in Stewart, we have the inland port as a linkage in terrace. And of course we have the LNG ports here in Kitimat. So I thought we could really contribute to the diversification of our trade with other countries around the world,” he said.

“We’ve got to open up relationships with other countries around the world and actually make amends for saying that there’s no business case for energy. But meanwhile, the rest of the world, who have lower environmental standards and have lower worker standards, are going to basically fill that gap. And that’s not right,” he continued.

Ross added he’s excited to begin his work as a member of the official opposition and hold the Liberal government accountable, and also get to work for his riding.

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