He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1959 to 1969, and served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Dufferin Roblin and Walter Weir.
Known as a populist, he first ran for the Manitoba legislature in the 1958 provincial election, against Liberal-Progressive Francis Bud Jobin in the riding of Flin Flon.
He lost, but defeated Jobin in the 1959 provincial election, as the Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under the leadership of Dufferin Roblin.
[1] He was defeated by New Democratic Party candidate Thomas Barrow in the 1969 provincial election, and did not seek re-election after that time.
[1] In 1969, Witney moved to Toronto, where he served as executive director of the Canadian School Trustees Association.