| Canada’s
first woman member of Parliament was Agnes McPhail of Grey County
who was elected in 1921. This was also the first year that women
could vote. Agnes was 31 and a member of the Progressive Party in
Grey County. She served in the House of Commons for 19 years –
during 15 of those years she was the only woman.
She then became one of the founders of the CCF party and ran
provincially under that banner in 1943. She was elected in York
West and was one of two women in our provincial legislature.
In 1948 she spoke about the need for day care legislation in
Ontario!
She never married saying that marriage would have ended her career
in both teaching and politics.
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