Todd Keller is hoping to avoid a return to the economic downturn experienced in the 1980s.
Keller is running as a Libertarian candidate in this fall's federal election for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, against incumbent Conservative Bob Zimmer and Liberal Matt Shaw.
He pinpoints his political awakening to 1983, when he was 16 years old.
"I remember thinking how hypocritical the world was," Keller said, in an email interview with The Citizen, necessitated due to Keller currently working up north at a Yukon gold mining camp. A Fort St. John resident for the past nine years, Keller has also lived in Fort Nelson.
"Governments seemed to be saying that they wanted to help people, but it appeared that the opposite was happening. They only seemed to dispense bad news," he said. "People with good jobs had been losing their homes because they had to renew their mortgages at over 20 per cent annualized, their mortgages doubled overnight."
Keller said he has become politically active due to a realization that Canada is going to return to those tough economic times.
"The Libertarian Party of Canada is a great vehicle for me as it allows me to advocate for sound money policies which can affect everyone in a positive way right away," he said.
The party's focus on individual autonomy also spoke to Keller, who called individual rights, property rights and individual freedoms things that he holds sacred. "What is the point of humanity if we are to be all rowed up like sheep and told what we can and cannot do?" he said.
Keller accepted the nomination from the party in January, and said prior to hearing about the Libertarian Party, he wouldn't have considered seeking office.
"I never believed in any of the mainstream political parties because I could never excuse nor justify giving with one hand while taking with the other," he said, referring to taxes and entitlements.
Keller grew up in the Okanagan and earned certifications in autobody repair and architectural/structural drafting before following a hobby in precious metals to the gold business.
After a few years in the Yukon running a gold brokerage, Keller moved to oil and gas, which took him to Alberta where he worked in oilfield services, sales and marketing before returning to B.C.
As a member of Parliament, Keller said he would serve as a strong advocate for the resource sector as well as northeast B.C.'s agriculture industry.
"In Ottawa, I can be the vocal common sense voice to stand up to those MPs and special interest groups who would seek to marginalize Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies and our industries for their own vanity," he said. "I'm not going to bear witness to any further reversals of freedom, autonomy or industry here in Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies."
