"I go to bed exhausted and I wake up excited and enthusiastic about the day that's about to happen," says Saanich councillor Colin Plant, who is vying to be the next member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands in the upcoming federal election.
Plant, a longtime municipal politician, is running as the federal NDP candidate, a new experience he says he's thoroughly enjoying since the election was called on March 22.
"My family and team were out that Sunday putting up signs along Pat Bay Highway under pouring rain, but this campaign is much more than signs," Plant emphasizes. "We are letting people know we're serious, we're committed and we're going to do everything we can to earn your vote."
The 52-year-old Claremont Secondary theatre teacher's ambition to serve in Ottawa dates back to his childhood.
"When I was five years old, my mother kept a scrapbook… my kindergarten year page listed my friends, my favourite food and when it asked what you wanted to be when you grew up, it said he wanted to be the government."
He remembers meeting the first MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, Lynn Hunter, as a Stelly’s Secondary School Grade 11 student during a trip to Ottawa.
“She said, “You're from Saanich-Gulf Islands, let me show you around.”
Plant says he brings a focus on 'working together' from his 25 years of teaching to his candidacy.
"My role as a theatre teacher is to bring kids together and to get the best from them when they work together. I think there's a need for Canadian politicians to work together for the betterment of the country as opposed to working against each other."
He cites Shakespeare's words from Hamlet as one of his favourites: "This, above all: to thine own self be true and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." He says he has lived by this statement and will continue to do so as a public servant.
"For me, being honest is a key part of who I am, because if you are true to yourself, you won't be dishonest to others. And so if I make a mistake, I will own it. I will apologize and I will learn."
Plant, who's lived in the Capital Regional District for 37 years, highlights the diversity within the Saanich-Gulf Islands riding, which he believes is representative of Canada itself.
One of the many things he is proud of is his work in the region to preserve green space for future generations.
"I've contributed to the creation of Saanich and regional parks and when I'm no longer on this planet – which I hope is a long time from now – I'll be able to, say on my last breath that I helped make the world a better place."
