Consultation isn't just a convenient buzz word for Duncan Barnett.
The NDP candidate for Cariboo North has a deep-rooted love for the environment but knows that being a steward of the natural world involves plenty of human interaction.
"You need to facilitate the interests of the people involved and understand those interests before you can really do too much with the resources," said Barnett. "And when you're talking about people it's usually politics."
Barnett is standing against Liberal Coralee Oakes and Independent incumbent Bob Simpson for the Cariboo North seat in his first foray into provincial arena - but it isn't his first political rodeo.
He spent ten years as the Area F director for the Cariboo Regional District, representing the communities in the southernmost portion of the provincial riding, from 1999 to 2010.
While he enjoyed the intimacy local government shares with people's everyday lives, some of the issues he feels most strongly about are under the provincial jurisdiction.
"If you are involved in natural resources you can take the approach of just being out on the land and being a steward of the land and try and avoid the people side of things. And some people do that - some people do it very successfully," said Barnett, but noted that way wasn't for him. "I love the stewardship aspect but I always end up getting involved in the people part and that leads right into politics."
Barnett has had his hands in a variety of natural resource pies. From early in his working career he ran the gamut from ranching, logging, forestry, working an oil rig, commercial fishing and guide outfitting.
"About the only thing I haven't really done was work in a big mine," said the married father of three, who studied agriculture at the University of British Columbia.
A former president of the Cariboo Cattleman's Association, Barnett and his family own and operate a ranching/farming operation on Horsefly Road.
He developed an interest in politics after working for what is now the Fraser Basin Council and facilitating land use planning issues and treaty negotiations.
"That's where it really brought home to me that when you're dealing with people's interests in the land, based in a province like B.C. it's hard to avoid the political side of things," he said.
He found himself aligning with the provincial New Democratic Party because it was the best, though not a perfect, fit.
"I like to think I have a social conscience. I care about people and I see the value of investing in our people," said Barnett. "I also have a small business and... I very much appreciate the fiscal realities that have to be dealt with."
As an independent thinker who likes to ask questions, Barnett said he sees the party as a place where there's room for debate and discussion on issues.
Learning how to have a productive discussion is part of what he took away from his decade with local government.
At the end of his regional district career, Barnett was involved in legal action against the group after a resolution was passed restricting his ability to interact with staff.
A B.C. Supreme Court justice ruled that he was "denied reasonable notice and denied procedural fairness" in establishment of the restriction and that "the resolution restricting his ability to access staff in performance of his duties be set aside."
"It's great to have your passions and your ideas but you've got to be able to effectively communicate them with other people to build alliances and build support for your ideas and be respectful of other people as well," Barnett said.
But just because he's part of a team, doesn't mean Barnett is willing to blindly toe the party line.
He said an ability to present the ideas and voices of riding constituents is paramount, but being part of something larger is required to be effective.
"And so what I've learned so far, and I'm still working on it, is finding that balance between being the independent voice and being part of the team that can actually deliver is where it's at."
Party politics are also a personal exercise in balance for Barnett, who said he believes government isn't simply about where you stand on the political spectrum.
"I think that's outdated thinking and it's not really relevant; it's not going to move us forward," he said. "I may be left on some things and right on others, but the reality is these days to be a successful political party you've got to address the issues: the social, the economic and the environmental. And it's just not as simple as left and right. If it ever was, it certainly isn't now."
