Albert County is a place of wonder, from its beautiful scenery and our abundant natural wealth hosting such natural wonders like Cape Enrage, the Rocks Provincial Park and Fundy National Park that we often fail to celebrate the people who call Albert County home.

For Albert County has truly created trailblazers, pioneers and visionaries from such people as William Henry Steeves, a Father of Confederation; to Lt. Col Cyrus Peck, a Victoria Cross recipient; the Right Honorable Richard Bedford Bennett, 11th Prime Minster of Canada, the Honorable W.A.C. Bennett, the longest serving Premier of British Columbia and such notable people like Mary Majka, a historian and conservationist, Sir George Robert Parkin, founding secretary of the Rhodes Scholarship, and of course, Captain Molly Kool, the first female Ship’s Captain in North America.

There is another name we have been remiss in celebrating that needs to be added to that amazing list, New Brunswick’s first female MLA and Cabinet Minister, Brenda Mary Robertson, CM, ONB.

Brenda Robertson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick representing Albert County in 1967 and was re-elected again in 1970. Then, the Albert District was split and Riverview district was created out of Albert, there Brenda was elected three more times (1974, 1978, and 1982) representing the district of Riverview. In 1970, she was appointed Youth Minister. She was also Minister of Social Welfare, Minister of Social Services, Minister of Health, and Minister for Social Program Reform. She remained a Member until her appointment to the Senate on December 21, 1984 representing the senatorial division of Riverview, New Brunswick. She sat as a Progressive Conservative and a Conservative until her retirement on her 75th birthday in 2004.

She was appointed to the Order of New Brunswick in 2004 in honour of "her tremendous work ethic and commitment to serve New Brunswickers and her country." and the Order of Canada in 2008 in recognition for being a "trailblazer and role model for women in politics".

Sadly, Brenda Robinson passed away on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. She was 91.

As a county we can be proud to have elected the first female MLA in New Brunswick history, especially during our 175th Anniversary year, and we, as a county, say a huge ” THANK YOU” to Brenda for her many years of service to Albert County and to Canada and for being such an inspiration to future generations.