Grace Winona MacInnis was born July 25, 1905 in Winnipeg, Manitoba to parents Lucy Lillian Staples and J.S Woodsworth, founding member of both the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.
Grace was highly educated, she studied at the University of Manitoba and the Sorbonne before going on to study at the Ottawa Normal School to receive training to be a teacher. She spent the early years of her career as a teacher before leaving the position to work at the CCF to help build the party up after its founding. Growing up in a progressive household, and after her time working at the CCF office; it only makes sense that Grace would go on to be elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Burrard in 1941 as a representative of the CCF.
She served a term dedicated to creating low-income housing, supporting medicare, pensions, and advocating for accessible birth control.Grace became the first British Columbian woman elected to the house of commons in 1965, as the NDP member for Vancouver-Kingsway, and would hold her seat until 1974.
Grace went on to Author the book J.S Woodsworth; a man to remember on her fathers life and his time in politics. Grace was awarded the Order of Canada in 1974, in recognition of her work as a teacher, author, and Parliamentarian. In 1979 she was awarded the Governor General's Person Award in recognition of her work aiding the status of women in Canada.
Bibliography:
Memorable Manitobans: Winona Grace Woodsworth MacInnis (1905-1991). Manitoba Historical Society. (n.d.). http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/macinnis_gw.shtml
Grace MacInnis. Grace MacInnis | Legislative Assembly of BC. (n.d.). https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn/watv/biographies/grace-macinnis
