Robert Libman

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title: "Robert Libman" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1960-births", "living-people", "architects-from-montreal", "equality-party-(quebec)-mnas", "20th-century-mayors-of-places-in-quebec", "montreal-city-councillors", "mcgill-school-of-architecture-alumni", "anglophone-quebec-people", "quebec-political-party-leaders", "people-from-côte-saint-luc", "conservative-party-of-canada-candidates-for-the-canadian-house-of-commons", "jewish-mayors-of-places-in-canada", "quebec-candidates-for-member-of-parliament", "20th-century-members-of-the-national-assembly-of-quebec", "21st-century-mayors-of-places-in-quebec"] description: "Canadian politician and architect" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Libman" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian politician and architect ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
name	Robert Libman
image	Robert Libman.jpg
office1	Borough Mayor of Côte-Saint-Luc–Hampstead–Montreal West
predecessor1	position established
successor1	position abolished
term_start1	2001
term_end1	2005
office2	Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc
predecessor2	Bernard Lang
successor2	Anthony Housefather
term_start2	1998
term_end2	2001
office3	Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for D'Arcy-McGee
predecessor3	Herbert Marx
successor3	Lawrence Bergman
term_start3	1989
term_end3	1994
birth_date
birth_place	Montreal, Quebec
spouse	{{Unbulleted list
{{marriage	Malia Azeroual
party	Equality Party
Conservative Party
children	Kevin, Daniel and Jonathan
::

| honorific-prefix = | name = Robert Libman | honorific-suffix = | image = Robert Libman.jpg

| imagesize = | office1 = Borough Mayor of Côte-Saint-Luc–Hampstead–Montreal West | predecessor1 = position established | successor1 = position abolished | term_start1 = 2001 | term_end1 = 2005 | office2 = Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc | predecessor2 = Bernard Lang | successor2 = Anthony Housefather | term_start2 = 1998 | term_end2 = 2001 | office3 = Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for D'Arcy-McGee | predecessor3 = Herbert Marx | successor3 = Lawrence Bergman | term_start3 = 1989 | term_end3 = 1994 | birth_date = | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = | spouse = {{Unbulleted list | | | party = Equality Party Conservative Party | relations = | children = Kevin, Daniel and Jonathan | residence = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | religion = Robert Libman (born November 8, 1960) is a Canadian politician and architect.

Background

Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is the son of David Libman and Goldie Aronovitch and is the oldest of four brothers. He attended Herzliah High School, Vanier College, and received a Bachelor of architecture from McGill University in 1985. From 1985 to 1989, he practiced architecture with Jacques Beique et Associés and Tolchinsky and Goodz Architects. He rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s as a defender and spokesperson for the rights of Quebec's English speaking community.

Provincial politics

In 1988, he co-founded the Equality Party to protest against the Quebec Liberal Party government's decision to extend a ban on English commercial signs. In 1989, he was elected as a Member of the National Assembly in the Montreal riding of D'Arcy-McGee, winning 57.85% of the valid ballots.

Due in part to the surprise victory of the Equality Party, the Quebec government later lessened restrictions on English signs. During his term in office, Libman made headlines by using his Parliamentary privilege to reveal the details of confidential, money-losing contracts signed between Hydro-Québec and some of Quebec's aluminum producers.

Libman left the Equality Party and sat as an independent shortly before the 1994 general election. His supporters attempted to make him the Quebec Liberal Party candidate in his riding. However, new Quebec Liberal Party leader Daniel Johnson refused to sign his nomination papers. Libman ran as an independent and lost to the Quebec Liberal Party candidate Lawrence Bergman.

After his election defeat, he hosted an evening talk show on Montreal radio station CJAD for three years. He also became the Quebec Regional Director of B'nai Brith Canada.

In 1997 Libman won a unanimous Supreme Court of Canada judgement in Libman v Quebec (AG). Certain sections of the Quebec Referendum Law, concerning restrictions on third party spending, were struck down. As a result of this decision, the charges against federalist groups who participated in the large Pro-Canada Rally during the 1995 referendum campaign were cancelled.

In 1995 Libman authored Riding the Rapids; The Whitewater Rise and Fall of Quebec's Anglo Protest published by Robert Davies Publishing.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Mayor_of_CSL.jpg"] ::

Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc

In 1998, Libman was acclaimed mayor of the city of Côte Saint-Luc, Quebec. In 2001, he was elected borough mayor of Côte Saint-Luc—Hampstead—Montreal West and was a member of the Montreal City Council and its Executive Committee. He was responsible for the Urban Planning and Development portfolio and was charged with overseeing the creation of Montreal's new Urban Master Plan which was adopted by City Council in 2004.

Libman supported the continued merger of the borough of Côte Saint-Luc with the megacity of Montreal after the provincial government watered down their promise of allowing the former cities to return to the same status as they had before the merger.

He decided to quit politics in 2005, and not to run for mayor of the re-constituted city of Côte Saint-Luc following its demerger from the megacity of Montreal. He returned to private life and opened his own architectural consulting firm, Libcorp Consultants Inc. He was also a director and partner in RSW Properties, a property management firm in Montreal until 2015. Later that year he joined Olymbec, a large real estate developer as their in-house consultant on architecture, planning and municipal zoning.

Move to federal politics

Libman returned to politics in 2014 by seeking the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in Mount Royal for the 2015 federal election. Libman won the nomination on April 26, beating former TVA journalist, Pascale Déry. On October 19, 2015, Libman was defeated by Liberal Anthony Housefather.

In January 2021 Libman was named by the Montreal Gazette as a weekly political affairs columnist for the Saturday edition.

Electoral history

Footnotes

References

1. {{QuebecMNAbio. libman-robert-4223
2. (April 27, 2015). "Robert Libman wins Conservative nomination in Mount-Royal". CBC News.
3. Goodfellow, Christopher. (May 13, 1991). "The need to know...the right to know...and hydro". Lachute Watchman.
4. Macpherson, Don. (May 1, 2015). "Similar candidates, opposing parties in Pierre Trudeau's former riding". Montreal Gazette.
5. (August 11, 2014). "Former Anglo rights activist seeks Tory nod in Mount Royal". Canadian Jewish News.
6. (April 26, 2015). "Libman beats Dery for Conservative nomination in Mount Royal". CTV Montreal News.
7. (October 19, 2015). "Liberal Anthony Housefather elected in Mount Royal". CBC News.
8. Lau, Rachel. (October 20, 2015). "Liberal Anthony Housefather elected in Mount Royal". Global News.
9. [http://enr.elections.ca/ElectoralDistricts.aspx?lang=e Elections Canada – Election Results, 22 October 2015]
10. [http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=can&dir=cand/canlim&document=index&lang=e Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates]

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