Canadian lawyer, educator and politician
Graeme Bowbrick is a Canadian lawyer, educator and former politician. A faculty member in the criminology department at Simon Fraser University, he previously represented the riding of New Westminster in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1996 to 2001. As part of the British Columbia New Democratic Party (BC NDP) caucus, he served as Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology as well as Minister responsible for Youth in 2000, and as Attorney General and Minister responsible for Human Rights from 2000 to 2001.
Biography.
Bowbrick studied history and political science at Simon Fraser University, from which he received a Bachelor of Arts. He then graduated from the University of Victoria with an LL.B., and was called to the Bar on May 14, 1993. Prior to becoming a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), he worked at the Westminster Community Legal Services Society. He received an LL.M. from the University of British Columbia in 2013.
He first ran for office in the 1993 federal election, contesting the riding of North Vancouver as a New Democratic Party candidate and finishing fourth. In the 1996 provincial election, he won the seat of New Westminster in the legislature as a BC NDP candidate, succeeding outgoing MLA Anita Hagen. He served as parliamentary secretary to Premier Glen Clark until resigning in July 1999.
After Ujjal Dosanjh took over as premier in February 2000, Bowbrick was named to the cabinet as Minister of Advanced Education, Training and Technology, and Minister responsible for Youth. He then assumed the roles of Attorney General and Minister responsible for Human Rights in November that year from Andrew Petter, who was dropped from the cabinet for declining to run in the 2001 provincial election. With the NDP trailing in the polls, Bowbrick lost his seat in that election to Liberal candidate Joyce Murray. It was the first time since the 1949 provincial election that a non-NDP/CCF member had been elected in the New Westminster riding.
Bowbrick subsequently joined the Criminology and Legal Studies programs at Douglas College as an instructor. He also serves as chair of the college's Education Council and ex-officio member of the College Board as of 2023; he previously served as the board's faculty member. He is also an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University, teaching in the Criminology program.