Skeena—Bulkley Valley

Skeena—Bulkley Valley is one of Canada's largest and most remote federal ridings, spanning roughly 323,700 square kilometres of northwestern British Columbia. The district reaches from Haida Gwaii in the Pacific westward through the Coast Mountains and along the Skeena and Bulkley river corridors into the lakes country of the central interior, taking in Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Terrace, Smithers, Burns Lake, Houston, and Hazelton among its widely scattered communities.

Candidates

Taylor Bachrach (NDP) — Raised in the Bulkley Valley, Bachrach attended the University of Victoria and ran a communications business in Smithers before entering municipal politics. He served as a councillor in Telkwa beginning in 2008, then won election as mayor of Smithers in 2011, holding the office until his federal candidacy.

Claire Rattée (Conservative) — A business owner based in Kitimat, Rattée served one term on the District of Kitimat council before stepping away from municipal politics to pursue a federal seat. During the campaign, she drew on her experience in business and local government.

Dave Birdi (Liberal) — A resident of Fort St. James who had served ten years on the municipal council there before being defeated in 2018, Birdi worked as the economic development officer for Binche Whut'en First Nation at the time of his candidacy. He was acclaimed as the Liberal nominee at a meeting in Fort St. James in July 2019.

Mike Sawyer (Green Party) — A Smithers-based environmental activist, Sawyer first came to the Bulkley Valley in the 1960s and had lived in the riding for a decade by 2019. He worked as an environmental consultant, sat on Indigenous committees, and was involved in complaints before the National Energy Board regarding proposed pipeline developments.

Rod Taylor (Christian Heritage Party) — The national leader of the Christian Heritage Party since 2014, Taylor was a Telkwa resident who had worked in the lumber industry in Smithers and Witset. He had previously represented the CHP in the riding in the 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2011 federal elections.

Jody Craven ran for the People's Party, while Danny Nunes and Merv Ritchie stood as Independents.

About the Riding

The economy of Skeena—Bulkley Valley has historically revolved around natural resources. Rio Tinto's aluminum smelter in Kitimat has operated since the 1950s, serving as one of the region's largest private employers. Forestry sustained communities across the Bulkley Valley and the interior lakes district for generations, though the mountain pine beetle epidemic devastated millions of hectares of lodgepole pine, contributing to mill closures and job losses in towns like Houston and Burns Lake. Prince Rupert's deepwater port — Canada's nearest major harbour to Asia — handled grain, coal, and container shipments, with expansion projects underway to increase capacity.

Energy infrastructure dominated the 2019 campaign. The LNG Canada export terminal under construction in Kitimat, backed by a Shell-led joint venture, promised large-scale investment and employment but raised concerns about greenhouse gas emissions, pipeline safety, and effects on salmon habitat. The Coastal GasLink pipeline, crossing Wet'suwet'en territory in the Bulkley Valley, was generating growing tension between project proponents and Indigenous communities asserting rights over unceded land. The riding's substantial Indigenous population — including Gitxsan, Wet'suwet'en, Haisla, Tsimshian, Haida, and Carrier peoples — made questions of title and consultation especially prominent. Access to healthcare in remote communities, the condition of northern highways, and the high cost of living in isolated areas were additional concerns across the riding's vast geography.