Ellis says experience alone won’t return our party to government. “It takes courage, too,” he said. “From the moment I announced I would be seeking the leadership of the BC Liberal Party, it was our campaign that has led the way on speaking out on the toughest and most controversial issues facing our province.”

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff

SURREY – BC Leadership contender Ellis Ross has been hearing a lot about so-called front-runner Kevin Falcon and how the former minister says experience matters in this leadership race.

“I agree, and having led and negotiated the largest private-sector agreement in our country’s history with LNG Canada, I believe I have the experience needed to fire up BC’s economy and get our province back on track,” said Ross.

“I also appreciate the experience Kevin has accumulated during his many years in politics. That’s why I hope he reverses his decision not to run in the next election if he does not win the leadership race. He would be a strong addition to our team in the legislature – in any role.”

Ellis says experience alone won’t return our party to government.

“It takes courage, too,” he said. “From the moment I announced I would be seeking the leadership of the BC Liberal Party, it was our campaign that has led the way on speaking out on the toughest and most controversial issues facing our province.”

Ellis pointed out that it was his campaign that had the courage to:

*Speak out forcefully against those burning churches and setting the goal of reconciliation back,

*Call out misguided politicians who wanted to cancel Canada Day in our province and even wanted to change the name of BC,

*Stand up for our forestry industry and the jobs that go with it,

*Spoke out against misogyny and sexual harassment in politics when an unfortunate incident marred the BC Liberal leadership race,

*Put drug dealers and thugs plaguing Vancouver streets on notice, letting them know I’m coming for them hard if I’m Premier,

*Press Ottawa to fly our country’s flag, which we should all be proud of,

*Travel to communities like Monte Lake to see the devastation caused by forest fires firsthand, and

*Take on the, “professional protesters” crowd and defend our great, environmentally responsible, resource development industries.

He said his campaign has been the one that has demonstrated the courage to change.

“I agree with my friend and fellow MLA Tom Shypitka, who recently endorsed my leadership campaign, who says the BC Liberal Party has so much to be proud of and that we must hold true to our foundational values. That’s 100% right,” Ross said.

“To beat the NDP in 2024, we need to get back to church basements and community halls. We need to empower grassroots members of our party and put them BACK in charge. And, we need to welcome thousands more members, from new and diverse communities, into our party.

“But all of those things require change – and we can’t be afraid to say so. Yes, experience matters. So does courage. I’m offering both.”

A clear sign that Ellis is breaking through the BC Liberal leadership candidates logjam came during this Monday’s second all-candidates’ debate when the former Chief Counsellor for the Haisla Nation was the prime object of attention and not the so-called front-running Falcon,

The current rules of the leadership contest make Ross, the MLA for Skeena, a possible spoiler for Falcon’s first-ballot ambition to take the title. If on the first ballot no one holds a majority, the dynamic of the competition usually swivels.

Business In Vancouver in a recent article wrote that “Ross has quickly figured that his strongly conservative positions are an asset in the race to corral a sizable chunk of the vote, particularly in rural B.C. The voters who will vote in February in this battle aren’t the general public, nor even those who favour the BC Liberals, but any adult British Columbian buying a $10 party membership by the mid-December deadline.”

Ross has been staking ground as a conservative voice within a party that strives to be an amalgam of everyone but the NDP and Greens. He is bullish on resource development and had a strong hand in fashioning a $50 million Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) deal for Haisla Nation and Kitimat LNG a decade-and-a-half ago, BIV wrote.

“The leadership vote on February 5 could be over barely as it starts. Falcon has a substantial, well-financed organization fortified in every riding. But if he comes up short of the majority, it would be because much of the majority wants anyone but him, which can then set into motion a kinetic shift in the results of what follows. It brought Andrew Wilkinson from fifth place on the first ballot to first place on the fifth. Monday night’s gang-tackle of Ross was a signal that his opponents really don’t want their voters choosing him second and making him first.”