← Back to Dashboard

Skeena—Bulkley Valley — Election Outlook & Projection

British Columbia Lean NDP Margin: 5pts Win probability: 78% (NDP) Last updated: 2026-09-14 Open in the interactive dashboard →

Where this riding stands

The RidingWatch model currently projects the NDP at 43% in Skeena—Bulkley Valley, 5 points ahead of the Conservatives at 38%, with the Liberals at 16%, the Greens at 3%. Across 10,000 simulations the seat goes to the NDP in 78% of them, the Conservatives in 22%. The simulations put the NDP's share anywhere from 37% to 48%, and the Conservatives' from 32% to 45%.

In April 2025 the Conservatives won here with 47%, 8 points ahead of the NDP. That was a change from 2021, when the NDP took the seat. Compared with the 2025 result, the current projection has the Conservatives down 9, the Liberals up 5, the NDP up 4 points. These shifts come from the national polling swing applied to this riding's past results — not from riding-level polling, which the model does not have.

The sitting member is Ellis Ross (Conservative), MP since 2025.

Rating: Lean NDP — the NDP holds a narrow projected lead. In practical terms, a 5-point margin is inside the range where turnout, candidates and local issues regularly decide the result. Within 10 points of the lead: the Conservatives (38%). Every vote counts toward a party's national total regardless of the local outcome. The Strategic Voting Assistant below shows how these standings look for a specific goal, including simply voting for your first choice.

Sitting member

ER
Ellis Ross
Conservative
MP since 2025

About this riding

Occupying northwestern British Columbia, this large riding encompasses the Skeena River valley and the Bulkley Valley regions. Terrace and Kitimat are the main communities, positioned on major river systems. The landscape is predominantly forested boreal terrain interspersed with river valleys. Mountains and substantial elevation changes characterize the geography. Indigenous communities are significant throughout the riding. The region depends on forestry, fishing, and increasingly tourism. Climate is cool and moist, with significant precipitation.

Projected Vote Share — Next Federal Election

Liberal
16%
+5
Conservative
38%
-9
NDP
43%
+4
Green
3%
+1.8

Projected using a blended proportional-uniform swing model with incumbency adjustments. Based on the current national polling average and regional crosstabs as of 2026-09-14.

Vote-share trend

0%13%25%38%50%8%11%16%36%47%38%43%39%43%4%1.2%3%2021 result2025 resultProjection

2021 and 2025 are official results for this riding; the third point is the current model projection. No estimated historical points are shown.

2025 Election Results vs. Current Projection

Party2025 Vote %Projected %Change
Liberal11%16%+5
Conservative47%38%-9
NDP39%43%+4
Green1.2%3%+1.8

Strategic Voting Assistant

Reasoning uses the current projected shares for this riding. Viability = within 10 points of the leader or at least 15%.

Explore More Ridings

About the Model

This projection is generated by the RidingWatch statistical model, which combines national polling data with historical election results to estimate vote shares and likely outcomes in each of Canada's 343 federal ridings.

The model begins with a weighted blend of results from the 2025 and 2021 federal elections, then applies the polling swing to each riding using a mostly-uniform (90/10 uniform/proportional) swing method — the national swing, adjusted by the province's pooled deviation where pollsters publish regional crosstabs. No pollster house effects are applied. Incumbency is not assumed: only first-term MPs (+1) and party leaders (+2) receive an adjustment. Uncertainty is estimated through 10,000 Monte Carlo simulations with correlated regional errors.

Projections are updated as new polling data becomes available. All estimates are probabilistic — they represent the most likely outcome given current information, not a guarantee of any result. Actual election outcomes depend on factors the model cannot fully capture, including local campaigns, turnout variation, and late-breaking events.