Brenda Murphy
Brenda L. Murphy is a Canadian activist and politician who served as the 32nd lieutenant governor of New Brunswick, from 2019 to 2025.
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. She served on a federal advisory council on poverty, and on New Brunswick's advisory council on the status of women.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.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. However, in May 2024, the Court of Appeal of New Brunswick overturned this judgment.
On November 15, 2024, Louise Imbeault was announced as Murphy's successor.
Honours and awards
| Ribbon | Description | Post-nominal letters | Date | Notes |
| Dame of Justice of the Order of St. John | D.St.J | 2020 | ||
| Member of the Order of New Brunswick | O.N.B | 2019 | Member ex officio, by virtue as Chancellor of the Order during her lieutenant governorship | |
| Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | 2022 | New-Brunswick version | ||
| King Charles III Coronation Medal | 2024 | Canadian version |