New Lieutenant-Governor Appointed For N.B.

A woman from Grand Bay-Westfield will serve as New Brunswick’s 32nd lieutenant-governor.

The prime minister announced the appointment of Brenda Murphy on Thursday.

“Ms. Murphy has decades of experience advancing gender equality and helping to lift people out of poverty,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement.

“I know she will continue to make important contributions to the future of her province and our country, and serve the people of New Brunswick well as their new Lieutenant Governor.”

The appointment comes nearly five weeks after former lieutenant-governor Jocelyne Roy Vienneau died from cancer.

Murphy is the former executive director of the Saint John Women’s Empowerment Network, an organization she led for more than 20 years.

She was nominated as a member of the Gender Equality Network Canada and was also a member of the National Advisory Council on Poverty and the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Murphy has also volunteered with a variety of organizations, including the Hestia House shelter for women, the Saint John Legal Centre, the Coverdale Centre for Women, and the Economic and Social Inclusion Corporation of New Brunswick.

She also served three terms as a municipal councillor in the town of Grand Bay-Westfield.

Congratulations to Brenda Murphy on her appointment as the 32nd lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick. I am confident she will be outstanding in this new role and I look forward to working with her. pic.twitter.com/PDEeYmuyMk

— Blaine Higgs (@BlaineHiggs) September 5, 2019

Premier Blaine Higgs said the announcement of a new lieutenant-governor is a significant occasion for our province.

“This is an important role, and Ms. Murphy will be called upon to promote New Brunswick’s sense of identity, support causes important to the province and help recognize outstanding citizens in the years ahead,” said Higgs in a statement.

Higgs said they continue to remember the many great accomplishments of Roy Vienneau.