Patricia Gretchen Mann Brewin (born December 23, 1938), known as Gretchen, is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician. Brewin was born in

Ottawa, Ontario Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

to mother Marjorie Mann and Walter Mann on December 23, 1938. Gretchen has one sister, Susan Mann. She graduated from Glebe Collegiate and attended the University of Toronto for one year before marrying John Brewin in 1958. Her parents and parents-in-law were all active in the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation), and founding members of its new version, the NDP.

Andrew Brewin Francis Andrew Brewin (September 3, 1907 – September 21, 1983) was a lawyer and Canadian politician and Member of Parliament. He was the grandson of Liberal cabinet minister Andrew George Blair. His son John Brewin also served in the House ...

, her father-in-law, was a member of parliament from 196 She and John had four children, Gillian (1959), Andrew (1960), Jennifer (1963), and Alison (1964) Brewin. Brewin began her political career in Scarborough, Ontario, when she was elected to the school board in the 1960s. She and her family moved to Victoria in 1973 where husband John took a position with the NDP Barrett government. Brewin returned to university, receiving her BA in political science from the University of Victoria in 1978. Brewin was elected to Victoria city council in 1979, then elected as Mayor of Victoria,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, in November 1985 and served until 1990. She was the first female mayor in the city's history.(18 November 1985)
Incumbents Fare Well With B.C. Voters
''Calgary Herald'' Brewin served as a

NDP NDP may stand for: Computing * Neighbor Discovery Protocol, an Internet protocol * Nortel Discovery Protocol, a layer two Internet protocol, also called SONMP * Nondeterministic programming, a type of computer language Government * National ...

Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for the riding of

Victoria-Beacon Hill Victoria-Beacon Hill is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada. Demographics Geography The riding comprises most of the City of Victoria, the provincial capital. It is bounded by the coa ...

from 1991 to 2001.(2 February 2011)
Farnworth fights as happy warrior
, ''Vancouver Sun'' ("Gretchen Brewin, former NDP MLA, cabinet minister and Speaker of the legislature...")(12 May 2009)

''CBC'' ("Victoria-Beacon Hill: In 1991, New Democrat Gretchen Brewin defeated Liberal Karen Bill by 3,505 votes.") Brewin was speaker for the legislative assembly of BC from March 1998 to February 2000. From February to November 2000, she was a member of the provincial cabinet, serving as Minister for Children and Families. Brewin and John divorced in 1991. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, and has 7 grandchildren, 3 stepgrandchildren, 2 step-great-grandchildren, and 1 great-grandchild.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewin, Gretchen Living people 1938 births 20th-century Canadian legislators 21st-century Canadian legislators 20th-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians British Columbia New Democratic Party MLAs Women government ministers of Canada Mayors of Victoria, British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Politicians from Ottawa Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Women mayors of places in British Columbia Women MLAs in British Columbia Women legislative speakers