B.C.’s economy in crisis? Interview with MLA Ellis Ross on what should happen next

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In today's report I sit down to interview twice-elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), for Skeena British Columbia, Ellis Ross. Unlike B.C.’s NDP Premier John Horgan, whose advice for the British Columbians struggling to afford to drive to work due to the provinces record high gas prices is to “think before [they] hop in the car”, Ellis believes that a resource economy with lower taxes is the best way for a province to thrive economically.

$2.36 a litre! Hey Horgan, how about instead of telling British Columbians struggling to afford to drive to work to “think before” they drive, you start reducing the costs to do so like you said you would. pic.twitter.com/NV22y9bTXD

— Hungry for Truth with Drea Humphrey (@DreaHumphrey) June 15, 2022

“I believe that you can’t tax people or a province into prosperity” said Ross during our the interview. Ross, who formally served as Chief Councillor for the Haisla Nation has been a prominent advocate for B.C. to become a resource economy including publicly supporting the LNG development to help indigenous communities prosper.

One of the very first steps Ross says needs to be taken to get B.C.’s economy back on track is to “get rid of the politics, get rid of the ideology of the parties” and “focus on what works”. He added that politicians need to stop listening to celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, whom Ross publicly called out late last year, after the American movie star took to Twitter to wag his finger at Canada’s resource sector while parroting the stance that many non-indigenous eco-activists take while claiming they are protesting on behalf of First Nations while ignoring the First Nation communities in support of projects like the Coastal GasLink project, and their democratic rights to weigh into the matter.

You have no idea what you’re talking about. Give me a call. I’ll tel you the other side of the story as an aboriginal leader who was on the front of this project from day one. https://t.co/hJEO2E1hM2

— Ellis Ross (@ellisbross) November 23, 2021

Watch the full interview with Ross which aligns with the rising cost of inflation, and concerns surrounding whether or not Canada is heading into a recession.

To catch up on our latest report on leadership races and interviews with political leaders, head to LeadershipReports.ca.