“You can’t be a good political strategist if you don’t understand the community of voters around you,” Kareem Allam claims. That is how he gets his work in an increasingly complex political landscape. This includes both ideas and how to get those ideas out, whether it be via new forms of media or the rise of technology. His clients are all from the private sector who want to gain social and regulatory license, so that the projects go forward the right way.

“You’re always the face of the party – that’s just a reality.” As leader of the British Columbia Conservative Party, going to new places and showing up is a large part of John Rustad’s job. That is nothing new to him, as someone who grew up in Prince George and having jobs that took him all over the province with all kinds of different experiences. As someone who takes all kinds of opportunities, this worked perfectly into his journey into business and, eventually, politics.

When Gidi Grinstein saw the Oslo Accords after his military service in Israel, he was fascinated. He knew he was witnessing an incident of great statesmanship in history – and realized that he wanted to be part of groups that shaped public policy. Leveraging that passion, he started the Reut Group, a public policy think tank. At first, he did everything. Over time, he realized that he couldn’t do everything alone – he had to work with people around him.

For Roger Pielke, the best part of his job is having ears on the ground for public policy. His role as a professor was not surprising, coming from a family of academics. But his passion wasn’t discovered until a chance trip to Washington, DC, where he discovered how politics and policy can turn on a dime and require trust in order to function.

John Rapley is not a person who will sit still. Starting out in academia, he has bounced around various roles, even starting his own think tank at one point. But he keeps coming back to one thing – writing. It is not as simple as sitting down and writing. According to John, 90% of what is written is unseen, hidden in research and preparation. Most of what the public sees is like a small slice of the iceberg.

There is no “normal” day when you work in government. That is what Brenda Bailey has learned as British Columbia’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. In fact, she sees her job as a real-life crash course on British Columbia.

While that isn’t an official job title, that is what Jody Wilson-Raybould is: “a change maker.” Her career as a lawyer, as a leader within her community and with First Nations across Canada positioned her to become an elected member of the 2015 Liberal government.

In this edition of Careers That Matter, we sit down with The Honourable Wally Oppal, Q.C., a man who has made an indelible mark on the law on in British Columbia. Not only was he a lawyer, judge, politician, Attorney General, Cabinet Minister and a Special Prosecutor, but his work has changed the law and the role of police officers.