Joseph Dubuc

Sir Joseph Dubuc (26 December 1840 – 7 January 1914), was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and judge who was born in Lower Canada and became an important political figure from Manitoba.

Early life Dubuc was from a large family and was irregularly in school because of family responsibilities. He spent some time in the United States and learned English while working in a factory. Upon returning to Quebec, he completed military school in Montreal in November 1866.

Political career He was acclaimed to the first provincial legislature when elections were held in 1870 at the Baie St-Paul riding.

Late life Dubuc unsuccessfully opposed the government of Thomas Greenway's move to reduce French-language rights and make English the sole language of the province during the Manitoba Schools Question debate and was a dissenting judge in the case of Barrett v. City of Winnipeg where the majority of the court ruled that the government had a right to establish a public school system to the detriment of French-language Catholic schools.

In 1903, he became chief justice of Manitoba and retired from the bench in 1909. In 1912 he was knighted, the first western French Canadian to be so designated. In retirement, he was given the right to retain the use of the title "The Honourable".

Dubuc died unexpectedly in Los Angeles on 7 January 1914. Dubuc Street in Winnipeg was named in his honour.