- Grace MacInnis
Winona Grace MacInnis (née Woodsworth) (
July 25 1905 -July 10 1991 ) was a Canadian politician and feminist. She was the first woman fromBritish Columbia elected to theCanadian House of Commons , as well as the first wife of a former Canadian Member of Parliament to be elected to the House of Commons in her own right, rather than by directly succeeding her husband in a by-election following his death.The daughter of
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) founding leaderJ.S. Woodsworth and the wife of longtime CCF MPAngus MacInnis , Grace MacInnis championed issues such as family planning, affordable housing, abortion rights and women's equality. She was a founding member of the CCF and served as an MLA in theLegislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1941 to 1945, on the executive of the national CCF, and in the Canadian House of Commons as aMember of Parliament representing the CCF's successor, theNew Democratic Party from 1965 until her retirement in 1974.MacInnis represented the British Columbia riding of
Vancouver—Kingsway . She was the only woman MP elected in the 1968 election.In 1974, she was made an Officer of the
Order of Canada "in recognition of a lifetime of service to Canada as teacher, author and parliamentarian". In 1990, she was awarded theOrder of British Columbia .ee also
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British Columbia New Democratic Party External links
* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/bio.asp?Language=E&query=1314&s=F Federal Political Experience]
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