Ellis Ross

He ran in the 2017 provincial election as a BC Liberal candidate, and was elected MLA for the riding of Skeena,^[6] while losing his home voting area of Kitimaat Village.^[7] The riding had previously been a stronghold for the New Democratic Party, with that party winning in five of the previous six elections — the only exception being the 2001 BC Liberal landslide.^[8] Upon his election, Premier Christy Clark appointed Ross to cabinet as Minister of Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing.^[9][10] He finished his brief term as minister that July,^[11] following the Liberal minority government's defeat in a confidence vote on June 29.^[12] On the opposition benches, he served as critic for Natural Gas and Petroleum Resources.^[1][13]

Ross won re-election as MLA in 2020,^[4] and was named Official Opposition critic for Environment and Climate Change Strategy.^[14] The next year he became the first declared candidate in the Liberal Party leadership election triggered by the resignation of Andrew Wilkinson.^[15] His leadership campaign, led by Mark Werner^[16][17] finished in second place on the fifth ballot behind winner Kevin Falcon,^[18] while supporting the rejected candidacy of Aaron Gunn.^[19][20][21] He was named Official Opposition critic for Energy and LNG by Falcon.^[22]

In January 2024, it was announced that Ross had been nominated to become the Conservative Party's candidate for the federal district of Skeena—Bulkley Valley.^[23] He defeated incumbent New Democrat Taylor Bachrach in the 2025 federal election.^[2]

He was elected vice chair of the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in the 45th Canadian Parliament in 2025.