She was a Progressive Conservative Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1971 to 1985 who represented the downtown Toronto riding of St. David.
She worked for the Toronto Telegram newspaper during and after World War II, and covered Marilyn Bell's historic swims across Lake Ontario.
She was re-elected in 1975 by a smaller margin over NDP contender Jim Lemon and Liberal candidate June Rowlands.
Shortly before his official retirement as premier, Davis appointed Scrivener as chair of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
[12] Although many considered her to be a moderate Tory, in January 1985 Scrivener endorsed Frank Miller as a candidate to succeed Davis as the leader of the Progressive Conservative party.