[2] Ellis was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in a by-election on October 27, 2014 as a Progressive Conservative (PC).

He had previously challenged his predecessor, Ken Hughes, in a nomination contest in the same district for the 2012 Alberta general election,[3] Ellis supported Danielle Smith during her leadership bid citing that she shares his "values for improving public safety.

"[4] Premier Jason Kenney named Ellis as Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions in a 2021 cabinet shuffle.

[8] Ellis gave the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) $4.4 million to combat gang and gun violence.

[9] During the 2023 Alberta general election, Ellis joined the far-right Rebel News' hosts Ezra Levant and Sheila Gunn Reid for their live-coverage of the event.