Charles Huband is a

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

politician, who subsequently became a judge. He was the leader of the

Manitoba Liberal Party The Manitoba Liberal Party (french: Parti libéral du Manitoba) is a political party in Manitoba, Canada. Its roots can be traced to the late 19th century, following the province's creation in 1870. Origins and early development (to 1883) Origina ...

between 1975 and 1978. Huband attended the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Edward Schreyer Edward Richard Schreyer (born December 21, 1935) is a Canadian politician, diplomat, and statesman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 22nd since Canadian Confederation. Schreyer was born and educated in Manitoba, and was first electe ...

. Huband first attempted to run for the provincial legislature in 1966, but lost the Liberal nomination in Wolseley to Julius Koteles. He later alleged that Koteles signed up several "instant members" to win the nomination. He ran in the upscale riding of River Heights in the 1973 provincial election, and lost to Progressive Conservative leader

Sidney Spivak Sidney Joel Spivak, (May 23, 1928 – July 8, 2002) was a Manitoba politician. He was a Cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin, Walter Weir and Sterling Lyon, and was himself leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ma ...

. Huband was elected leader of the

on February 22, 1975, defeating his lone opponent Lloyd Henderson by 381 votes to 87. The party had only four seats in the 57-member legislature at the time, and was in need of renewal. Huband represented a more centrist direction in the party, which had long been considered very right-wing for its time. Under the rural populism of

Robert Bend Robert (Bobby) Bend (April 14, 1914 – September 24, 1999) was a Canadian politician, and was briefly the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party (1969–1970). Biography Early life Bend was born in Poplar Point, Manitoba, the son of J.P. Bend ( ...

and the libertarianism of

Israel Asper Israel Harold "Izzy" Asper (August 11, 1932– October 7, 2003) was a Canadian tax lawyer and media magnate. He was the founder and owner of the now-defunct TV and media company CanWest Global Communications Corp and father to its former CEO ...

, the party's electoral fortunes had progressively declined. In a province that had become increasingly polarized between the Tories and NDP, the Liberals were finding it increasingly difficult to present themselves as an alternative. Huband declared himself a candidate when the central Winnipeg seat of

Crescentwood Crescentwood is a former electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1969, abolished in 1979, re-established in 1989, and abolished again in 1999. The Crescentwood riding was located in Winnipeg's south-central re ...

became vacant in early 1975, after the one-vote victory of NDP MLA

Harvey Patterson Harvey Norman Murray Patterson (September 12, 1924 – April 8, 2014) was a Canadian politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1973 to 1975. His term in office is usually re ...

in the 1973 election was overturned. Huband was narrowly defeated by Tory incumbent

Warren Steen Warren Steen (July 22, 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba – August 19, 2009) was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1975 to 1986, as a Progressive Conservative. Biography The s ...

. He again lost to Steen in the general election of 1977, as the Manitoba Liberals fell to only one seat (that of

Lloyd Axworthy Lloyd Norman Axworthy (born December 21, 1939) is a Canadian politician, elder statesman and academic. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Following his retirement from parliament ...

). Huband resigned as party leader in 1978, and later became a Manitoba Court of Appeal judge. In the mid-1990s, he ruled that the

Canadian Wheat Board The Canadian Wheat Board (french: Commission canadienne du blé, links=no) was a marketing board for wheat and barley in Western Canada. Established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935, its operation was governed by the Canadian Wheat Bo ...

could not be sued by producers. This decision was given in response to a challenge initiated by the right-wing group

Farmers For Justice A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...

. In 1996, Huband's years of service to the legal profession were recognized by the Manitoba Bar Association, which presented him with its Distinguished Service Award. In 2007, Huband retired from the Manitoba Court of Appeal and resumed private practice, joining the firm o
Taylor McCaffrey LLP
Huband is also an active member of the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

and in June 2014 he was elected to the governing council of the Manitoba Historical Society. Huband tried to return to politics when he won the Liberal nomination in the riding of Portage la Prairie during the 2019 provincial election, and finished a distant third.

References

Professional profile
(accessed July 24, 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Huband, Charles Winnipeg city councillors University of Manitoba alumni Members of the United Church of Canada Judges in Manitoba Living people Year of birth missing (living people)