Grace MacInnis
| Grace MacInnis | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Canadian Parliament for Vancouver Kingsway | |
|
In office November 8, 1965 – July 7, 1974 | |
| Preceded by | Arnold Webster |
| Succeeded by | Simma Holt |
| Member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Burrard | |
|
In office October 21, 1941 – October 24, 1945 Serving with Charles Grant MacNeil | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 25, 1905 Glen William, Prince Edward Island, Canada |
| Died |
July 10, 1991 (aged 85) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party |
Independent Labour Co-operative Commonwealth Federation |
| Spouse(s) | Angus MacInnis |
| Profession | Writer, teacher |
Winona Grace MacInnis OC OBE (née Woodsworth; July 25, 1905 – July 10, 1991) was a Canadian politician and feminist. She was the first woman from British Columbia elected to the House of Commons of Canada, 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 founding leader J. S. Woodsworth and the wife of longtime CCF MP Angus 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 the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1941 to 1945, on the executive of the national CCF, and in the Canadian House of Commons as a Member of Parliament representing the CCF's successor, the New 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 the Order of British Columbia.
