Skeena MLA Ellis Ross reportedly considering run for BC Liberal leadership

Skeena MLA Ellis Ross in the Legislature last summer

A media recap yesterday of the current state of the BC Liberal leadership offered up a clue that a Northwest politician may be thinking of tossing his hat (should he actually wear a hat) into the mix, with Skeena's Ellis Ross mentioned as one of a number of BC Liberals giving thought to a run for the top job.

With the end of the last session of the Legislature on December 17th, the MLA has been keeping somewhat of a low profile through his social media channels of late, so there are no hints to divine from any of commentaries through the last month.

However should he confirm his entry into the race, Ross could help bring home the issues of rural and Northern British Columbia for a party that now relies on those areas for the most part for their core support.

As well and in his favour, Mr. Ross' profile in the Legislature has increased significantly since he was first elected to the Chamber in 2017, with the MLA gaining much in the way of time for debate and discussion in Victoria over the last few years. 

That has been a period of time where he has brought a strong voice for his constituents to the capital, all while holding the NDP government to account and raising a number of important themes up for  discussion. 

The Liberal leadership process appears to be in the early stages of ramping up, with the party setting up an organizing committee yesterday. 

No timeline has been put in place as of yet as to when the leadership process will move forward, that seemingly owing to the fact that Andrew Wilkinson who led the party into the last election hasn't actually formally stepped down yet.

However, while he hasn't delivered a letter yet, the party has moved on, with Shirley Bond currently serving as the party's interim leader. 

Her first task when she took on the job in December was the formation a shadow cabinet and to appoint Mr. Ross to the post of opposition party critic for Environment and Climate change.

While the party works towards determining how they will select a new leader,  the Skeena MLA could perhaps use that time to touch base with his supporters not only in Skeena, but across the province to determine if he wishes to take on the challenge.

You can follow some of the developments from the Legislature from our archive page here, for notes on the work of Mr. Ross in Skeena see our archive here.

A wider overview of the provincial political scene see our D'Arcy McGee blog.