Robert Hunt is the Liberal candidate hoping to unseat the incumbent premier in Quispamsis.
Hunt is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force but is new to provincial politics. In 2007, he immigrated to Quispamsis and began working as an engineering technologist with Fundy Engineering.
He says his primary focus as a candidate is animal welfare, which drove him to become a working dog handler with the Air Force, and eventually chair of the New Brunswick SPCA.
“This is something I’ve been passionate about my entire life,” Hunt said. “I got involved first in politics with a local bylaw that was resulting in the useless euthanization of small animals.”
Hunt went on to work with the town of Quispamsis and concerned citizens in order to change the bylaw.
“That kind of gave me a taste for something I really enjoyed, and that was helping people solve problems,” he said.
The Liberal candidate says he dislikes the philosophy that government should be treated as a for-profit venture. Hunt would prefer politicians to work to serve and better the lives of his constituents.
“If you look at the recent cuts that were announced over the last year or two: they address the bottom line but they do so at the expense of the people we’re supposed to be representing,” said Hunt.
He cites cuts to nursing homes and the now-axed PC plan to close some rural overnight emergency rooms around the province as examples of decisions which did not prioritize constituents.
Specifically, Hunt believes that the concept of trickle-down economics has failed, and governments need to end their reliance on the model.
“I haven’t seen any evidence that austerity measures help spur economic growth,” Hunt said. “We still are going back to that model. So personally, I think the economy has to be driven by the bottom up. You can only do that by empowering everyone who participates in our economy, and granting them the ability to participate.”
He believes the focus on the current economic system has left too many people behind.
With the ongoing pandemic, Hunt is hoping to meet constituents at community parks, rather than approaching them at their doors, just in case there are fears of spreading the COVID-19 virus.
Despite the tall task of defeating Blaine Higgs in their home riding, Hunt says he isn’t focused on his odds.
“Consider for a moment what would happen if David never took the field,” he says. “I’m going to present an alternative to the voters of Quispamsis, and I’m going to afford them the opportunity to make a choice, and I think that’s what the democratic process is all about.”
