John F. Brewin
Former MP and Retired Lawyer in Toronto, ON, Canada
John Francis Brewin is a retired union-side labour lawyer and a former federal politician. A life-long member of the New Democratic Party and the Anglican Church of Canada, he writes a popular blog about progressive politics and religion at https://johnfbrewin.blogspot.com/.
After his return to Ontario from British Columbia in 1999, John joined the firm of Ryder, Wright, Blair and Holmes LLP. He was a litigator and mediator for clients in a wide range of cases. He also provided internal constitutional and public policy advice to unions and other civic organizations.
John appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in 1999 as co-counsel for the B.C. Government Employees' Union in the ground-breaking Meiorin human rights case. With Derek Fudge of the National Union of Public and General Employees, he co-authored an insightful analysis of the erosion of public sector bargaining rights in Canada, Free Collective Bargaining: Human Right or Canadian Illusion.
John was the NDP Member of Parliament for Victoria from 1988 to 1993. As an M.P., he chaired a parliamentary legislative committee -- a rare appointment for an opposition member -- and was the NDP’s critic for defence, sport and the solicitor-general.
A resident of British Columbia from 1973 to 1999, John worked in the first BC NDP government as the equivalent of associate deputy attorney general and initiated innovative public legal services, overseeing the opening of the Rentalsman's office. He was also the first chair of the B.C. Rent Review Commission.
John was a partner in the Victoria labour law firm, Brewin, McCallum, Milne and Morley, for twelve years — until his election to Parliament in 1988. From 1994 to 1999, he was an arbitrator and labour relations consultant before joining the B.C. Government Employees' Union as a staff lawyer.
John has served on a variety of boards and governing bodies including Canada World Youth (1983 - 1985) the International Defence and Aid Fund for Southern Africa (1984 - 1988), Toronto Community Housing Corporation (2002 - 2008), and the Anglican Church of Canada nationally in 2007 and 2013 (and in the Dioceses of British Columbia, New Westminster and Toronto during the period 1988 to 2013).
John served at all levels of the New Democratic Party for four decades. He attended the founding convention of the NDP in 1961 and worked in Saskatchewan as a grassroots organizer during the introduction of Medicare in 1962.