Running for office was only a matter of time for David Merner, who is representing the Liberal party in the newly defined Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke riding.

From his time as a political science major in university to his current role as the executive director of the Dispute Resolution Office in B.C.B次元官网网址檚 Ministry of Justice, Merner has been heavily involved with the provincial and federal Liberal parties.

The 53-year-old has also been an observer at two of the biggest presidential elections in modern history: 2006 in Haiti and 2014 in Ukraine.

B次元官网网址淭here were certainly security risks and concerns,B次元官网网址� says Merner of both situations. B次元官网网址淏ut people were also so grateful that Canadians were there to help.B次元官网网址�

Haiti was particularly moving, as people walked long distances to vote, some through the night.

B次元官网网址淭hey filled their ballots by candlelight,B次元官网网址� Merner said. B次元官网网址淵ou can see how important democracy is to them. They take it seriously [because] they know what itB次元官网网址檚 like to lose democracy. ItB次元官网网址檚 very inspiring and a reminder of how lucky we are.B次元官网网址�

A father and a husband, Merner and his wife, human rights lawyer Annemieke Holthuis, have raised four daughters in Victoria. The youngest, 12, attends Ecole Victor Brodeur. Their 18-year-old is doing a one-year program at Mahindra College in India (part of the United World College family of schools, which includes MetchosinB次元官网网址檚 Pearson College).

Meanwhile their oldest, a pair of 20-year-old twins, are in university, one in pre-medical school at QueenB次元官网网址檚 and the other environmental studies at Dalhousie.

B次元官网网址淪till one at home, but itB次元官网网址檚 the start of empty-nest syndrome,B次元官网网址� joked Merner.

B次元官网网址淧reviously we had been so busy driving around.B次元官网网址�

Before he worked in the justice industry Merner started at Harvard University and ended up doing a masters at Oxford University in the 1980s, where, little known to Canadians, he played hockey for the Oxford Blues.

B次元官网网址淚t was a semi-pro league, we played in the [traditional] Oxford versus Cambridge [rivalry],B次元官网网址� Merner said. B次元官网网址淭he fans loved it, they wanted Slapshot, they wanted all that bad behaviour, it was something else.B次元官网网址�

To this day Merner still plays hockey three times a week, including twice in the morning before work.

reporter@saanichnews.com