Brenda Murphy

Last updated

Brenda Murphy
Brenda Murphy throne speech (cropped).jpg
Murphy in 2020
32nd Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick
Assumed office
September 8, 2019
Governors General
Premier
Preceded by Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau
Personal details
Born1958or1959(age 65–66) [1]
Domestic partnerLinda Boyle [2]

Brenda L. Murphy (born 1958 or 1959) is a Canadian activist and politician who currently serves as the 32nd lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, since September 8, 2019. [3]

Contents

Career

She formerly served as a municipal councillor in Grand Bay–Westfield and served as the executive director of the Saint John Women's Empowerment Network in Saint John, best known for her advocacy on poverty and domestic violence issues. [4] She served on a federal advisory council on poverty, and on New Brunswick's advisory council on the status of women. [2]

Lieutenant-governor

Since September 8, 2019, she has served as lieutenant governor of New Brunswick. She is both the province's first openly LGBT lieutenant governor and the first openly LGBT person to hold any viceregal office in Canada. [1]

In April 2022, the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick ruled that her appointment as lieutenant governor violated the bilingual status of the province under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, since Murphy is unilingual English-speaking. [5] However, in May 2024, the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick overturned this judgment. [6]

On November 15, 2024, Louise Imbeault was announced as Murphy's replacement. [7]

Honours and awards

Ribbon Bar of Brenda Murphy
Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg CAN Order of New Brunswick ribbon.svg UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal CAD.jpg
RibbonDescriptionPost-nominal lettersNotes
Order of St John (UK) ribbon -vector.svg Dame of Justice of the Order of St. John D.St.J [8]
CAN Order of New Brunswick ribbon.svg Chancellor of the Order of New Brunswick O.N.B [8]
Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal CAD.jpg Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal [8] New-Brunswick version
UK King Charles III Coronation Medal BAR.svg King Charles III Coronation Medal [8] Canadian version

Personal life

Murphy lives in Grand Bay–Westfield. Her partner Linda Boyle has accompanied her on official engagements, including a visit to King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in November 2022. [9]

Arms

Coat of arms of Brenda Murphy
Brenda Louise Murphy Escutcheon.png
Crest
A butternut tree Or leaved Purpure fructed Argent issuant from a circlet Or the upper rim set with purple violets Proper.
Escutcheon
Per bend wavy Or and Purpure a bend wavy counterchanged between in chief an orca enarched Purpure embellished Argent and in base semé of mayflowers Argent seeded Or.
Supporters
Two snow geese Argent beaked and legged Or their exterior wings elevated and embellished standing on a cable ferry Purpure its railing Argent issuant from a bar wavy Argent charged with a barrulet wavy Purpure.
Motto
Every Voice Matters [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Brunswick Liberal Association</span> Political party in Canada

The New Brunswick Liberal Association, more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal Party or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major provincial political parties in New Brunswick, Canada. The party descended from both the Confederation Party and the Anti-Confederation Party whose members split into left-wing and right-wing groups following the creation of Canada as a nation in 1867. It is the current governing party in the province, led by premier Susan Holt.

The New Brunswick New Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in New Brunswick, Canada. It is the provincial section of the federal New Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick</span> Canadian provincial political party

The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick is a centre-right conservative political party in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The party has its origins in the pre-Canadian confederation Conservative Party that opposed the granting of responsible government to the colony. It has historically followed the Red Tory tradition. From the 2010s, the party underwent a shift to Blue Toryism after the election of Blaine Higgs as leader, who was premier from 2018 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of New Brunswick</span> Overview of politics in New Brunswick

New Brunswick has had, since the Legislative Council was abolished by an act passed on 16 April 1891, a unicameral legislature called the New Brunswick Legislature, consisting of the Lieutenant Governor and the Legislative Assembly with 49 seats. The legislature functions according to the Westminster system of government. Elections are now held at least every five years but may be called at any time by the lieutenant governor on consultation with the premier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's Alliance of New Brunswick</span> Political party in Canada

The People's Alliance of New Brunswick (PANB) is a provincial political party in the Canadian province of New Brunswick. It was formed in 2010. The party has been described as being right-wing populist. In the 2018 election, the party won three seats in the provincial legislature for the first time since its founding. The party advocated for "common sense" government and the abolition of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, with a transfer of that office's responsibilities to the office of the provincial ombudsman. The party's platform has been described as "a mixture of economic conservatism, rural populism and opposition to some aspects of official bilingualism and duality".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Austin</span> Canadian politician

Kris Austin is a Canadian politician who serves as an MLA in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. Previously, he served as the leader of the People's Alliance of New Brunswick. On October 13, 2022, he was appointed minister of public safety and solicitor-general by Premier Blaine Higgs and served in that position until the Higgs government was defeated in the 2024 New Brunswick general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blaine Higgs</span> Premier of New Brunswick from 2018 to 2024

Blaine Myron Higgs is a Canadian politician who served as the 34th premier of New Brunswick from 2018 to 2024 and leader of the New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Party from 2016 to 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Shephard</span> Canadian politician

Dorothy Shephard is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick in the 2010 provincial election and served until 2024. She represented the electoral district of Saint John Lancaster as a member of the Progressive Conservatives. She was born and raised in Saint John. Shephard was re-elected in the 2014, 2018 and 2020 provincial elections. Prior to becoming involved in politics, she owned and operated Benjamin Moore Colour Centre, a retail decorating store, for 17 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 New Brunswick general election</span>

The 2014 New Brunswick general election was held on September 22, 2014, to elect 49 members to the 58th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 New Brunswick general election</span>

The 2018 New Brunswick general election was held on September 24, 2018, to elect the 49 members of the 59th New Brunswick Legislature, the governing house of the province of New Brunswick, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Gallant</span> Premier of New Brunswick from 2014 to 2018

Brian Alexander Gallant is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 33rd premier of New Brunswick from October 7, 2014, until November 9, 2018. Of Acadian and Dutch descent, Gallant practised as a lawyer before winning the Liberal leadership in October 2012, securing the riding of Kent in a by-election on April 15, 2013, shortly followed by his swearing in as Leader of the Opposition. After the 2014 election, in which the Progressive Conservative government of David Alward was defeated, Gallant was sworn in as Premier at the age of 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau</span> Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick from 2014 to 2019

Jocelyne Roy-Vienneau was the 31st Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. She was installed on October 23, 2014. She was the viceregal representative of Queen Elizabeth II of Canada in the Province of New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 New Brunswick general election</span> Canadian provincial election

The 2020 New Brunswick general election was held on September 14, 2020, to elect members of the 60th New Brunswick Legislature. The Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, led by Blaine Higgs, won a majority government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 New Brunswick general election</span> Canadian provincial election

The 2024 New Brunswick general election was held on October 21, 2024, where 49 members were elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick. It was formally called upon the dissolution of the 60th New Brunswick Legislature on September 19, 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 New Brunswick Liberal Association leadership election</span>

The New Brunswick Liberal Association held a leadership convention on August 6, 2022, in Fredericton, New Brunswick, as a result of Kevin Vickers' announcement on September 14, 2020, that he was resigning as party leader. Vickers resignation followed the outcome of the 2020 New Brunswick general election which saw the Progressive Conservative party, under Blaine Higgs, form a majority government and the Liberal Party lose three seats. The deadline for candidates to file their intention to run for the leadership was June 15, 2022. Voting by party members for the leadership occurred at a free in-person convention as well as remotely via phone and internet connected device and used a ranked ballot system.

Policy 713, also called the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity policy, is an education policy of the province of New Brunswick, Canada, that sets minimum requirements for public schools and districts in the province related to individuals identifying and perceived as LGBTQIA2S+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faytene Grasseschi</span> Canadian Christian conservative activist and broadcaster

Faytene Grasseschinée Kryskow is a Canadian Christian conservative activist and broadcaster based in Quispamsis, New Brunswick. In December 2023 she was nominated as the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick candidate to contest the riding of Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins in the 2024 New Brunswick general election. She lost to the Liberal party candidate John Herron.

Jacques Andre Poitras is a Canadian journalist and author. As New Brunswick's provincial affairs reporter for CBC News, Poitras does reporting work for politics within New Brunswick. Outside of doing reporting work, Poitras has written five non-fiction books, for which he has received multiple awards and nominations.

Serge Brideau is a Canadian singer and politician who is a member of Les Hôtesses d'Hilaire, an Acadian folk-rock band in New Brunswick. Within politics, Brideau has run for the provincial legislature as a member of the Green Party of New Brunswick. He is the Green candidate for the Tracadie riding in the 2024 provincial election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louise Imbeault</span> Canadian journalist

Louise Imbeault O.C, O.N.B, is a Canadian journalist, women's rights advocate, who will be the 33rd lieutenant governor of New Brunswick.

References

  1. 1 2 Bobbi-Jean Mackinnon, "Brenda Murphy 'humbled' to be appointed New Brunswick's new lieutenant-governor". CBC News New Brunswick, September 5, 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Women's advocate Brenda Murphy named new lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick". CTV News Atlantic. Canadian Press. September 5, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  3. Alexander Quon, "Brenda Murphy officially sworn in as lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick". Global News, September 9, 2019.
  4. "Women’s advocate Brenda Murphy named new lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick". Toronto Star , September 5, 2019.
  5. Poitras, Jacques (April 14, 2022). "Appointment of unilingual N.B. lieutenant-governor violated charter, judge rules". CBC News . Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  6. Poitras, Jacques (May 23, 2024). "N.B. Appeal Court says lieutenant-governor is not required to be bilingual". CBC News. Retrieved May 23, 2024. But the appeal court says the Charter doesn't specify a right to "speak" to the lieutenant-governor herself in English or French, only to communicate with her office.
  7. Farley, Sam (November 15, 2024). "Louise Imbeault named next lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick". CBC News. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 L'hon. / The Hon. Brenda Murphy [@LtGov_NB] (May 6, 2024). "It was a great honour to receive a King Charles III Coronation Medal from Her Excellency The Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, during a virtual ceremony today. #CoronationMedal" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  9. The Royal Family, Court Circular, 30 November 2022
  10. "Brenda Louise Murphy". Canadian Heraldic Authority. Retrieved August 15, 2023.