CA-K186Institutions

Agnes Macphail, first woman elected to the House of Commons

Agnes Macphail, MP, photographed by Yousuf Karsh on 14 May 1934. Agnes Macphail - PA-165870 · Yousuf Karsh · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.

Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

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Agnes Macphail (1890–1954), a rural schoolteacher, became the first woman elected to the House of Commons when she won Grey County as a Progressive in the 1921 federal election. In Ottawa she fought for penal reform, disarmament and social welfare, and later sat in the Ontario legislature from 1943 to 1951.

Scope & context

Her election and parliamentary work, not the history of women’s suffrage (see CA-K036).

Sources behind this record

Agnes Campbell Macphail (1890-1954) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text