Hon. Edward Broadbent, leader of the federal New Democratic Party from1975 to 1989 was born in Oshawa, Ontario. He attended the University of Toronto and the London School of Economics, earning a Ph.D. in political science in 1965 from the University of Toronto. That year, he joined the political science department at York University. He left teaching in 1968 to enter politics.
Broadbent was appointed President of the International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development in1990. In 1993, he sat on the Tribunal on Violations of Women's Human Rights at the UN Conference on Human Rights. The following year, Broadbent became a member of Haiti's Popular International Tribunal on Rights. He continues to act as an international advisor to Haiti's National Truth and Justice Commission.
In Canada, Broadbent has played a leading role in linking human rights and international trade agreements and in defending the rights of refugee women. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993.
