Born and raised in the Haisla Nation near Kitimat, Ross spent his early life in a community scarred by unemployment and a lack of opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had nothing,\u201d Ross told the Arc Energy Ideas<\/em> podcast last year. \u201cWe were begging for money, begging for infrastructure. We were one of the poorest bands in British Columbia.\u201d Under his leadership, that changed forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Haisla chief councillor from 2011 to 2017, Ross helped transform his community through industry partnerships rooted in resource development. He rejecting the old idea that development was a natural enemy of culture, and steered the Haisla into the energy economy on their own terms by embracing liquefied natural gas (LNG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cedar LNG project, co-owned by the Haisla Nation and Pembina Pipeline, will become the largest Indigenous-majority-owned energy project in Canada’s history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt will have one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world,\u201d said Crystal Smith, Ross’ successor as Haisla Chief Councillor. Cedar LNG is scheduled to begin operation in 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Ross, participation means power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you uplift an Aboriginal community, the biggest beneficiaries, apart from First Nations, are the rest of British Columbia,\u201d he said at IPSS in 2023. \u201cWe\u2019ve got no malls or car dealerships on reserves. We spend it in our neighbouring communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ross\u2019s journey hasn\u2019t been without conflict. Writing in the Times Colonist in 2020, he warned of foreign-funded activists \u201chijacking our future\u201d by dividing Indigenous communities and undermining resource partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe last thing any of us need is intervention from foreign groups that want to hijack our future for their own objectives,\u201d he wrote, condemning the influence of U.S. foundations funnelling money to anti-development campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He is vehemently opposed to \u201cdistraction politics\u201d, and it became a hallmark of Ross\u2019s political career. As MLA for Skeena from 2017 to 2024, Ross built a reputation for straight talk. He was eager to defend both workers and environmental standards for the modern resource industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a pragmatic style, he gained admiration from both business leaders and former premier Christy Clark, who has praised Ross because he \u201cfought for an LNG industry that will be the cleanest, the greenest, and the safest anywhere in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By early 2024, Ross announced his move to federal politics, saying he wanted to take \u201cthe principles I\u2019ve developed over the last 15 years\u201d to Ottawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the Member of Parliament for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, he\u2019s now one of the most prominent Indigenous voices in the House of Commons, and one of the few with deep experience in both community governance and heavy industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recently, Ross said he plans to hold the federal government to its promise of making Canada an \u201cenergy superpower.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor the area and for Canada, I want to hold this government accountable for those words,\u201d he told the Prince George Citizen<\/em>. \u201cProjects like LNG Canada and Cedar LNG can show the world how Indigenous leadership and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ross\u2019s attendance at IPSS 2025 comes at a moment when Indigenous participation in major projects is reshaping the national economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than two dozen First Nations now hold equity in energy, mining, or infrastructure developments. It is proof that reconciliation, in his view, must be measured not in lofty statements but in actual ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got to leave a lot of those old narratives at the door,\u201d he told delegates. \u201cWe\u2019re not victims. We\u2019re builders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, from the carpet of Parliament Hill to the polished floors of the Vancouver Convention Centre, Ellis Ross continues to speak for both the Haisla and the wider coalition of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians who believe in growth through partnership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As IPSS Event Lead Margareta Dovgal put it, \u201cHe bridges worlds\u2014the boardroom, the band office, and the floor of the legislature.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Ross steps back onto the IPSS stage this November, expect the same mix of candour and conviction that has defined his career. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re not talking about reconciliation anymore…we\u2019re talking about prosperity, and making sure it lasts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the halls of Parliament, Ellis Ross may be the most high-profile advocate of Indigenous-led development in Canada. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":100624,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[703,694],"tags":[18,87,27],"class_list":["post-100622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-people","tag-economy","tag-feature","tag-first-nations"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/resourcework2.devstudio.work\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CP172435958-1024x625.jpg\")
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