Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Ellis Ross tapped as BC Liberal critic for Environment and Climate Change



Environment and Climate Change Minister George Heyman is going to be hearing a lot more from Skeena MLA Ellis Ross and the topic won't be about TransLink! 

That as interim BC Liberal leader Shirley Bond announced the roster of her party's Legislature critics on Monday, with the Skeena MLA gaining a key role as the BC Liberals watchdog on the province's environmental files.

Ms. Bond took on her new duties last week after former BC Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson stepped down, the Prince George MLA to hold down the position until the party chooses a new leader sometime in the year ahead.

In her remarks as she rolled out the list of critics for the NDP government's plans for the next four years, she hailed the responsibility the party has to keeping the NDP on focus to the needs of all British Columbians.

“As the Official Opposition, we have a responsibility to make sure this government deals with the critical issues facing British Columbians. Our caucus represents people from all across the province and we will ensure that their voices are heard in Victoria. It is essential that the government’s approach to COVID-19, from a health and economic perspective, is transparent and effective so that all British Columbians can have confidence in the future of our province.”

The full BC Liberal announcement can be viewed here.

On the topic of her new environmental critic, Ms. Bond was enthusiastic about the work ethic he will bring to the post.

“Ellis has proven himself to be a strong advocate for his community and all British Columbians advocating for sustainable resource development and environmental policy. His dedication to creating economic opportunities for communities is another asset he will bring to our team and our province.”

For his part, the Skeena MLA was looking forward to the challenges ahead, taking to his Facebook page to share word of his new duties for the year ahead.




His new post will most likely prove to be a controversial one for the environmental movement in the province, who will surely note his strong advocacy in the past for pipelines and resource extraction.

In a statement released on Monday, Mr. Ross observed as to how he entered politics to see that environmental policy became part of the developmental process.

“One of my big motivations for joining politics in the first place was my desire to see environmental policy become an integral part of our economic development discussions. British Columbians expect this government to find the balance between economic progress and environmental sustainability, and I intend to use my time in this role to hold this government to account and ensure it upholds the standards that British Columbians expect.”

More notes on the work of the BC Legislature can be explored from our archive page here.



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