“We’re talking about trying to address rights and title from the Crown’s perspective, but we’re also trying to balance that with what society needs.”
—Ellis Ross
Ellis Ross is a genuine Canadian success story. He grew up in a home with no running water in a remote northern village with dirt roads and now represents northwest BC in the country’s highest parliament.
As councillor, then later chief councillor, of Haisla Nation, Ross immersed himself in Aboriginal law, constitutional case law, the Indian Act and more. It convinced him economic participation was the best path forward for his people. He led his community through negotiations with senior governments and industry to develop natural resources under strict environmental standards, while securing enduring financial returns.
Their work, and the efforts of those who followed, helped lift community members out of poverty and into long-term prosperity. Haisla Nation is now a leading player in Canada’s LNG sector with a thriving local economy and prospects enough to sustain generations.
After serving on council, Ross was elected a BC Liberal MLA for for Skeena and now represents Skeena-Bulkley Valley as a Member of Parliament and Environment critic for the Official Opposition.
Serving as a BC MLA when the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) was unanimously passed in 2019, he was the first elected official I ever heard publicly criticize the law.
Podcast preview: ‘We’re all going to suffer’
Ross dropped by Northern Beat to share his take on a few hot topics—repealing DRIPA, what UNDRIP is and is not, why representative organizations cannot speak for First Nations on Aboriginal rights and title, who is getting lost in the reconciliation conversation, and more.
Known as a straight shooter, he meets questions head-on. Just before we hit record on the pod, he says, “Ask me anything.”
Podcast producers: Rob Shaw and Zach Proulx