KITIMAT, B.C. – For Skeena-Bulkley Valley’s new Member of Parliament, Ellis Ross, the departure of the first LNG Canada shipment on Monday night was more than just a historic moment for the nation—it was the culmination of a 21-year personal and political journey.
As the LNG carrier Gaslog Glasgow sailed down the Douglas Channel, the MP, a former Chief Councillor of the Haisla Nation, posted a live video from the shoreline, capturing the moment for the community that he helped lead to this point.
“21 years later, I’m watching liquified natural gas leave Kitimat for Asia,” he wrote in the simple, powerful caption.
His journey with the project began two decades ago when he was a councillor for the Haisla Nation. At the time, the Nation was determined to move from the sidelines of industrial development to become a central driver of its own economic destiny. It was his leadership, first as a councillor and then as elected Chief Councillor, that was instrumental in navigating the complex negotiations and building the partnerships that ultimately brought the multi-billion-dollar LNG Canada project to a Final Investment Decision.
He championed the vision of LNG as a pathway to economic self-sufficiency, a way to fund cultural revitalization, build housing, and create generational opportunities for the Haisla people. He continued that advocacy during his time as the provincial MLA for the Skeena riding, and has made it a core part of his platform as the region’s new representative in Ottawa.
The departure of the first tanker is the tangible result of that long-term vision. For the leader who was there from the beginning, watching the ship sail for Asia was not just the end of a long construction project, but the beginning of the future he has worked to build for his community for over two decades.
