With a career in aviation that took him around the world, Todd Doherty was able to see firsthand how Canada looks on the world stage.
Now that he spends more time on the ground, Doherty wants to be an active participant in the tenets of the Conservative party to which he found himself the most drawn.
"The Conservative party stands for making sure that we are keeping our communities safe, keeping our taxes low and creating that environment - whether it's here in our region or nationally - that builds jobs and builds opportunity for our nation. And that's something that really appealed to me," said Doherty, who is running as the Conservative candidate for Cariboo-Prince George.
Also pursuing the riding's seat is Liberal Tracy Calogheros, Independent Sheldon Clare, the Christian Heritage Party's Adam De Kroon, New Democrat Trent Derrick and the Green Party's Richard Jaques.
Doherty, who grew up in Williams Lake and Prince George, kept finding himself drawn to the region, even after his career with airlines, regulatory agencies and airports bounced him and his family - Doherty is married to wife Kelly, also from Williams Lake, with whom he has four kids -around to places like Kelowna, Vancouver and Edmonton.
Being constantly on the move didn't stop Doherty from building connections in whatever community he was living.
"Volunteering in our community is something that's very important," Doherty said.
"We need to pay back and give not just when it's convenient to us, but every day."
Along with charitable pursuits such as the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life, Doherty has also spent many years with amateur sports, coaching minor baseball and soccer as well as hockey.
Doherty coached the Williams Lake Mustangs as well as a team in Kelowna before his return to Prince George in 1999 when he worked with camps before becoming on of the original coaches of the Cariboo Cougars major midget team.
"I was fortunate to be with the program for about four years where we won the provincials in 2008," Doherty recalled.
Sports became a full-time job when he took a position with the 2015 Canada Winter Games, where he worked as director of revenue generation from late 2011 until the summer of 2014 when he left to pursue the campaign trail.
Despite a long-standing interest in politics, this election is Doherty's first opportunity to pursue a position of his own, as opposed to helping out behind the scenes.
And pounding the pavement in pursuit of Parliament Hill is a task he's been at doggedly since winning the party's nomination on last December. As of Thursday, Doherty said he had put nearly 45,000 kilometres on his truck, crisscrossing the more than 83,000 square kilometre riding.
It's work he attributes to both an inquisitive nature, the weight of responsibility and the backing of a team of volunteers who have already put in thousands of hours of their time.
"My goal is represent this region and regardless of political stripe or people's backgrounds, I want to make sure that we're listening to them, that we're hearing first hand what their concerns are. My biggest question to people is 'What are you looking for in your next member of Parliament?' Because that's what matters to me, is hearing first hand those concerns."
