Photo: Shawn from Airdrie, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Ellis Ross (Conservative Party of Canada) holds Skeena—Bulkley Valley, the riding that includes Smithers
Across British Columbia, 20 of the 43 MPs sit with the Liberal Party of Canada. Provincially, Smithers votes in Bulkley Valley-Stikine; the open record doesn’t name its MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly, the provincial or territorial legislature) in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, so the legislature’s own list is linked below. For local government, Smithers is a town. This page names no head of council for Smithers, as no open list of councils exists in British Columbia.
Three governments, and who does what
Smithers, a town in British Columbia, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Regional parks, waste, rural areas’ services.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
leg.bc.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
Smithers is a member municipality of Bulkley-Nechako Regional District, which runs regional services and governs the rural areas around it.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Smithers, from the most recent elections.
- 1Smithers councilTown
- 2Legislative Assembly of British ColumbiaBulkley Valley-Stikine
- 3House of CommonsSkeena—Bulkley Valley
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When Smithers votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Smithers council | 17 October 2026 | 19 October 2030 |
| Legislative Assembly of British Columbia | 19 October 2024 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
There are no 2025 counts here: Elections Canada’s terms bar their commercial reuse, so 2021 is the latest open result. Elected on 17 October 2026, Smithers council is up again on 19 October 2030. The Local Government Act sets the day: the third Saturday in October every four years. The last general elections came on 19 October 2024 for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and on 28 April 2025 for Parliament.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
Smithers votes in Bulkley Valley-Stikine for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
MLA: see the legislature’s list
leg.bc.ca ↗Bulkley Valley-Stikine takes in Smithers and elects its MLA to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.
BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
The 2024 provincial election in Bulkley Valley-Stikine
Turnout there was 64% of registered voters, against 58% across British Columbia. Sharon L. Hartwell (Conservative Party of BC) took Bulkley Valley-Stikine in October 2024 with 52% of the vote, 1,283 votes clear of the runner-up (BC NDP).
BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence)
Ellis Ross represents Skeena—Bulkley Valley in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Skeena—Bulkley Valley · Conservative Party of Canada
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada20
- Conservative Party of Canada19
- New Democratic Party3
- Green Party of Canada1
As Wikidata records them.
The MP’s record
Ellis Ross is new to Parliament, first elected in the April 2025 vote. Had the 2021 ballots been cast in today’s Skeena—Bulkley Valley, the New Democratic Party would have led with 43%; in 2025 Ellis Ross took it from them.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
Taylor Bachrach kept Skeena—Bulkley Valley for the New Democratic Party in 2021
Counts for Skeena—Bulkley Valley within its 2013 boundaries, used in 2019 and 2021; the 2025 election ran on a new map.
2,408 votes separated Taylor Bachrach (New Democratic Party) from Claire Rattee (Conservative Party of Canada) in Skeena—Bulkley Valley in 2021, when the winner took 43%. Back in 2019, Taylor Bachrach took the riding on 41%. At 55%, fewer of Skeena—Bulkley Valley voted in 2021 than Canada as a whole (63%).
All 6 candidates in Skeena—Bulkley Valley, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Bachrach | New Democratic Party | 15,921 | 42.6% |
| Claire Rattee | Conservative Party of Canada | 13,513 | 36.1% |
| Jody Craven | People's Party of Canada | 2,888 | 7.7% |
| Lakhwinder Jhaj | Liberal Party of Canada | 2,866 | 7.7% |
| Adeana Young | Green Party of Canada | 1,406 | 3.8% |
| Rod Taylor | Christian Heritage Party of Canada | 797 | 2.1% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Having a say in how Smithers is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.bc.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not on this page. The open lists stop short of party labels, council budgets and band councils, so those are missing here.
- Election results. The 2019 and 2021 figures are Elections Canada’s official counts on the ridings drawn in 2013; the “today’s boundaries” figures are its transposition of the 2021 vote onto the 2023 ridings, an estimate built from polling divisions.
- Which riding. The 2021 Census homes of a place’s residents fix its ridings, and one is shown once it holds 5% of them.
- Who holds each seat. A member who resigned or switched parties last week may still show here: the names are Wikidata’s.
Questions about how Smithers is run
Who is the MP for Smithers?
Skeena—Bulkley Valley’s MP, Ellis Ross of the Conservative Party of Canada, represents Smithers.
Which party won Smithers in the 2021 federal election?
The New Democratic Party, with Taylor Bachrach in Skeena—Bulkley Valley; since 2025 Ellis Ross represents Skeena—Bulkley Valley.
Who is the MLA for Smithers?
Sharon L. Hartwell (Conservative Party of BC) took Bulkley Valley-Stikine in October 2024, the latest open record; the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia lists its current MLA.
Who heads the council in Smithers?
Ask the municipality itself: Smithers, a town, isn’t on an open list of councils we can use.
Which regional body is Smithers part of?
The board of the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District takes directors from member councils such as Smithers’s and runs regional services.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · BC ridings: Elections BC 2023 electoral districts (Elections BC Open Data Licence) · Next municipal election: the province’s municipal election act · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026 · BC 2024 results: Elections BC, Provincial Voting Results and Registered Voter Counts (Elections BC Open Data Licence). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).