- Incumbent: Ellis Ross (United | 2017)
- Candidates:
- NDP: Sarah Zimmerman
- Conservative: Claire Rattee
- Green: Teri Young
- Christian Heritage: Irwin Jeffrey
- Results:
- Liberal – 52%
- NDP – 44%
- Description:
- One of the BC Liberals' few gains in 2017, incumbent Ellis Ross finally flipped Skeena thanks to the burgeoning LNG sector in Kitimat. Even in the NDP landslide of 2020, he held his share of the vote steady - a mark of a strong incumbent with growing appeal. His loss to Kevin Falcon in the 2022 leadership race, coupled with his departure for the federal scene, was the first canary in the coal mine for BC United. With his imminent candidacy for Skeena-Bulkley Valley federally, it leaves a gaping void on the provincial scene.
- So far, three candidates have stepped up to fill said void: Sarah Zimmerman of the NDP, Claire Rattee of the Conservatives, and Teri Young of the Greens. The three will seek to debate and carefully navigate the politics of resource development and treaty rights all the way until election day.
- The riding is made up of three major communities - the Nisga’a Nation, Kitimat, and Terrace. The Nisga’a have been staunchly NDP since the ‘90s fight on reconciliation in which BC Liberal leader Gordon Campbell promised to scrap a proposed treaty. While he backed down and took on a more co-operative tone later on, the ordeal still dealt lasting damage to the right there - and it shows in the polls where the New Democrats crack 80 or even 90 percent of the vote.
- Terrace is another story. A swing city between the NDP and the BC Liberals, it’s trended rightwards ever since Christy Clark’s populist campaign in 2013. By fielding local city councillor Sarah Zimmerman, the New Democrats are hoping to convert her municipal appeal into a provincial victory.
- Perhaps the swingiest region of all is Kitimat. The NDP swept every poll in 2005 and 2009, but has run into growing pains since 2013, further exacerbated by star candidate Ellis Ross. Getting his start as a councillor for the Haisla Nation based in Kitamaat Village, Ross campaigned hard on Clark’s promises for LNG-driven economic development, and it paid off in spades. In 2017, he won every poll in the town of Kitimat. In 2020, he even won his hometown reserve of the Kitamaat Reserve, which had given the NDP 80% of the vote just seven years ago.
- With Ross’ departure, former Kitimat councillor and former federal Conservative candidate Claire Rattee has stepped up. To win, she’ll have to prove that Kitimat’s shift to the right wasn’t just due to a star candidate, but rather due to the success of the energy sector. Combined with the NDP’s support for LNG in economic reconciliation in Skeena though, Zimmerman may give her a run for her money.
Hugh Chan is a second year student at UBC studying International Relations and Data Science. You can find more coverage of the 2024 BC election as well as politics across East Asia and the Anglosphere at https://x.com/shxnhugh.
