Agnes Macphail

Agnes Campbell Macphail (March 24, 1890 – February 13, 1954) was a Canadian politician and the first woman elected to Canada's House of Commons. She served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1921 to 1940; from 1943 to 1945 and again from 1948 to 1951, she served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Toronto riding of York East. Active throughout her life in progressive politics, Macphail worked for multiple parties, most prominently the Progressive Party, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the United Farmers of Ontario. She promoted her ideas through column-writing, activist organizing, and legislation.

Background "Agnes Macphail Country" sign at eastern approach to Ceylon, OntarioAgnes Macphail was born to Dougald McPhail and Henrietta Campbell in Proton Township, Grey County, Ontario.

Although her surname was spelled "McPhail" at birth, she discovered during a later trip to Scotland that her family's surname had been spelled as "Macphail" and changed her name to reflect this.

She was raised in the Methodist Church, but converted to the Reorganized Latter Day Saint church as a teenager. This was the church of her missionary uncle. In later years she joined the United Church of Canada, which had absorbed the Methodist church of her youth.

Macphail attended Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute for one year. Although she did well, she transferred to Stratford Normal School so she could complete her studies while boarding with a relative. She graduated in 1910 with a second-class teacher's certificate.

She applied for five positions and was accepted at all five. She later said that this was not due to her competence but to a scarcity of teachers at the time. She taught in several rural Ontario schools in such communities as Port Elgin, Honeywood, and Newmarket. Roots and branches of Saugeen, a local history book, states that Agnes MacPhail was the teacher in the Gowanlock School, and would "hoist herself up to the counter top" in the Burgoyne Store and argue politics with the "boys" for hours.

While working in Sharon, Macphail became active politically, joining the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) and its women's organization, the United Farm Women of Ontario. She also became a columnist for the Farmer's Sun around this time.

As with many prominent people of the era, Macphail was an ardent supporter of eugenics. She was re-elected in the 1925, 1926, and 1930 federal elections.

As a radical member of the Progressive Party, Macphail joined the socialist Ginger Group, a faction of the Progressive Party that later formed Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF).

She became the first president of the Ontario CCF in 1932. However, she left the CCF in 1934 when the United Farmers of Ontario pulled out over fears of Communist influence in the Ontario CCF. While Macphail was no longer formally a CCF member, she remained close to the CCF MPs and often participated in caucus meetings. The CCF did not run candidates against Macphail in her three subsequent federal campaigns.

In the 1935 federal election, Macphail was again elected, this time as a United Farmers of Ontario–Labour MP for the newly formed Grey—Bruce riding. She was allowed to use the party's name, even after it stopped being a political organization in 1934. She was always a strong voice for rural issues.

Macphail was also a strong advocate for prison reform

Macphail's concern for women in the criminal justice system led her, in 1939, to found the Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada, named after British reformer Elizabeth Fry.

Causes she championed included pensions for seniors and workers' rights. Macphail was also the first Canadian woman delegate to the League of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland,

It was her last federal campaign as a candidate.

Journalist

Macphail was a frequent contributor to newspapers in Grey County such as the Flesherton Advance and Markdale Standard, often acting as a correspondent or ambassador to the rest of the country.

She wrote dispatches from Parliament about political news of interest to the rural communities back home, and contributed columns when she travelled and spoke to citizens in other regions. She also wrote a number of pieces for The Farmer's Sun, an Ontario progressive weekly, including a number of reminiscences about rural Ontario history.

Out of office, she wrote agricultural columns for The Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto and contributed pieces about politics to the Newmarket Era.

Following a family tragedy in her home town, Macphail moved to the Toronto suburb of East York, Ontario. She rejoined the Ontario CCF in 1942, where she became its farm organizer.

Provincial politics In the 1943 provincial election, Macphail was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a member of the Ontario CCF representing the suburban Toronto riding of York East. She and Rae Luckock were the first women elected to the Ontario Legislature.

She is buried in Priceville, Ontario, with her parents and Gertha Macphail, one of her two sisters.

Electoral record

Canadian election result/source|Montreal Gazette (Google News) One of the first women elected to the Ontario Legislature (alongside Rae Luckock, 1943). thumb

Civic honours and named awards In 1993, marking the 50th anniversary of Macphail's election to the Ontario legislature, Michael Prue, then mayor of East York, proclaimed March 24 to be observed annually as Agnes Macphail Day.

The following year, East York Council established the Agnes Macphail Award. Presented annually, the award recognizes a resident of East York who has made outstanding contributions to equality rights and social justice and who exemplifies Macphail's tradition of principled leadership.

In 1997, East York also inaugurated the annual Agnes Macphail public speaking contest for students.

Public places and infrastructure Numerous public spaces and community organizations in East York bear Macphail's name, reflecting her lasting association with the area. These include Agnes Macphail Parkette at the corner of Mortimer Street and Pape Avenue, the Agnes Macphail Playground, the Agnes MacPhail Youth Resource Centre, and the Agnes MacPhail Food Bank, all located at 444 Lumsden Avenue.

In 1999, a townhome development built by Brownstone Homes in East York named a street Macphail Avenue, near the intersection of Pape Avenue and Mortimer Street.

On June 24, 2006, a cairn and bronze bust commemorating Macphail's life were unveiled in Hopeville, Ontario. That same year, highway signs reading "You are now entering Agnes Macphail Country" were installed near the hamlet of Ceylon and east of Hopeville. Grey County Road 9, between Highway 6 and Highway 10, was also renamed Agnes MacPhail Road.

An apartment building at 860 Mercer Street in Windsor, Ontario, is named Agnes Macphail Manor.

Public recognition and commemoration In 2005, Macphail was voted the Greatest Ontario Woman in a public contest organized by former Ontario MPP Marilyn Churley.

She is also featured on the Canada 150 commemorative edition of the Canadian ten-dollar note, issued in 2017, alongside John A. Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier, and James Gladstone. Macphail is the first woman other than the sovereign to appear permanently on Canadian currency.

In popular culture Macphail has also appeared in dramatized portrayals of early 20th-century Canadian political life. A 2015 episode of Murdoch Mysteries (season 8, episode 17, "Election Day") depicts a young Agnes Macphail, played by Zoe Fraser, showing an early interest in the suffrage movement.

Archives There is an Agnes Macphail fonds at Library and Archives Canada. Archival reference number is R4413.

References and notes