Agnes Macphail, Canada's first woman MP, is a heroine for our times: an accomplished politician, committed feminist and a complex, well-rounded human being.
A democratic populist who emerged politically during the post-World War One farmers' revolt, Macphail helped build the alliance that became the CCF, ending two-party domination of national political life. She later served the CCF as Ontario's first woman MPP.In all her activities Macphail was an outspoken advocate of equality and human rights, working tirelessly to win recognition of women's rights, to reform the penal system and to secure international peace. Strong convictions, openness to new ideas and devotion to democratic values were Maphail's distinguishing characteristics.
Agnes MacPhail and the Politics of Equality recounts the career of a Canadian political pioneer, while simultaneously presenting twentieth-century Canadian history from a woman's perspective.