Elayne Brenzinger (born 1951, in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

) was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, serving as a member of the

British Columbia Liberal Party BC United (BCU), known from 1903 until 2023 as the British Columbia Liberal Party or BC Liberals, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. The party has been described as conservative, neoliberal, and occupying a centre-right ...

from 2001–2005. She was a key figure in the formation of the Democratic Reform British Columbia Party and was its first MLA.

Career

She was first elected to the Legislative Assembly as a member of the British Columbia Liberal Party in the 2001 provincial election for the riding of Surrey-Whalley. Brenzinger defeated cabinet minister and long time NDP MLA, Joan Smallwood, winning 45.73 percent of the vote. Aside from Brenzinger's term in office, Surrey-Whalley has been a predominantly NDP riding. She resigned from the Liberal caucus to sit as an independent in March 2004 because of a dispute with the party leadership, including over concerns with the sale of

BC Rail The British Columbia Railway Company , commonly known as BC Rail, is a railway in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Chartered as a private company in 1912 as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), it was acquired by the provincial ...

to CN. She claimed then-

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

and party leader Gordon Campbell humiliated her at a caucus meeting in 2003, cursing and yelling at her. In March 2004, following her departure from the party, she made public allegations of improper conduct against liberal MLA Richard Stewart, claiming he had groped her at a night club in Victoria. Stewart was suspended from office, though Brenzinger later retracted the allegations and issued a formal apology. Stewart retracted his defamation lawsuit after the apology. She was a key force in the creation of the Democratic Reform BC party, which was officially founded on January 15, 2005, and became its first MLA four days later. On May 17, 2005, Brenzinger was defeated by New Democratic candidate Bruce Ralston in her Surrey-Whalley riding.

Election results

, - , - , NDP , Joan Smallwood , align="right", 4,536 , align="right", 30.99% , align="right", , align="right", $42,735

References

External links

Brenzinger's official bio
1951 births Living people Scottish emigrants to Canada BC United MLAs Women MLAs in British Columbia Democratic Reform British Columbia MLAs People from Surrey, British Columbia 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 21st-century Canadian women politicians {{BCUnited-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub