This article lists notable achievements of women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and gay/lesbian/bisexual and transgender people in Canadian politics and elections in Canada.
This list includes: Members of Parliament—Members of the House of Commons of Canada; Senators—Members of the Senate of Canada Governor-general—Canadian Governors General and Lieutenant Governors Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs); Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs in Ontario); Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) in Quebec; and Members of the House of Assembly (MHAs) in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Women First female elected in Canada: Maria Grant is the first woman in Canada to be elected to any office, in 1895. She served six years on the Victoria School board and was presented to the future George V as the only woman elected as a school trustee in Canada.Wikipedia: "Women in Canadian politics" First female candidate in provincial election in Canada: Margaret Haile ran as a candidate of the Canadian Socialist League in Toronto North for the 1902 Ontario provincial election, becoming the first woman ever to stand in a provincial election in Canada. She herself was not allowed to vote in the election. First woman elected to a Canadian government body (first woman in Canada elected at the federal, provincial or municipal government levels): Hannah Gale, Alderman in Calgary, 1917.Biography, Toronto Star, by Mark Maloney Accessed March 10, 2007 (This was the first city election in Canada where a proportional representation electoral system (Single transferable voting) was used.) First woman elected to a legislature in Canada: Louise McKinney, first woman elected to a legislature anywhere in the British Empire, member 1917–1921 of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for the Non Partisan League, a left-wing prohibitionist socialist party. (Roberta MacAdams, a member of the Canadian Army Medical Corps, was also elected in the 1917 Alberta general election by Albertans serving in the First World War. By the time the armed forces election was held, McKinney was already in the legislative assembly.)
First two women serving at the same time in a legislature anywhere in Canada: Alberta MLAs Louise McKinney and Roberta McAdams, served 1917 to 1921 First woman candidates in a federal election. Five women ran in the first federal election in which women were allowed to run as candidates (1921). (Note: Some women had been granted the right to vote, but not to run as candidates, in the wartime election of 1917. Even in 1921, still many women were denied the right to vote – status Indians, those on the Indian Register, did not get the right to vote in federal elections until 1960.) Harriet S. Dick, Winnipeg Centre, Independent; 2,314 (4th Place, 4/5) Rose Mary Louise Henderson, St. Lawrence—St. George, Labour Party; 510 (Last Place, 3/3) Elizabeth Bethune Kiely, Toronto East, Liberal; 52 votes (Last Place, 5/5) Agnes Macphail, Grey Southeast, Progressive Party/United Farmers of Ontario; 6,958. Elected. (1st; 1/3) Harriet Dunlop Prenter, Toronto West, Labour Party; 1,741 (Last Place, 3/3) First women to serve in the Canadian House of Commons: Agnes Macphail, Progressive, United Farmers of Ontario, Labour, Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). She served as Ontario MP in ridings of Grey South and Grey—Bruce, from 1921 to 1940. She was also one of two women who were the first women MPPs in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the Ontario CCF (the forerunner to the New Democratic Party) for the riding of York East 1943–1945 and 1948–1951 Martha Black, Independent Conservative, MP Yukon, 1935–1940 Dorise Nielsen, Unity (Communist) and Labor-Progressive (Communist) MP North Battleford, Saskatchewan 1940–1945 Cora Taylor Casselman, teacher, Liberal MP, Edmonton East (Alberta). 1941 (by-election) –1945 Gladys Strum, teacher, CCF MP Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, 1945–1949 First woman to run in for a federal seat in Quebec: Idola Saint-Jean ran as Independent-Liberal candidate in 1930. (First woman to be elected as MP in Quebec—Monique Bégin, 1972.) First female prime minister: Kim Campbell, Progressive Conservative Prime Minister 1993
First women in cabinet Provincial and Territorial: Mary Ellen Smith, 1921, British Columbia, Independent Liberal Irene Parlby, 1921, Alberta, United Farmers of Alberta Marie-Claire Kirkland Casgrain, 1962, Quebec, Liberal Thelma Forbes, 1966, Manitoba, Progressive Conservative Hilda Watson, 1970, Yukon, Consensus government in Canada Brenda Robertson, 1970, New Brunswick, Progressive Conservative Margaret Birch, 1972, Ontario, Progressive Conservative Jean Canfield, 1972, Prince Edward Island, Liberal Hazel Newhook and Lynn Verge, Newfoundland and Labrador, Progressive Conservative Joan Duncan and Patricia Anne Smith, 1982, Saskatchewan, Progressive Conservative Nellie Cournoyea, 1984, Northwest Territories, consensus government Maxine Cochran, 1985, Nova Scotia, Progressive Conservative Manitok Thompson, 1999, Nunavut, consensus government Federal: Ellen Fairclough, 1957, Progressive Conservative Associate Minister of National Defence: Mary Collins First female cabinetmember with a portfolio: Tilly Rolston First female Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons: Jeanne Sauvé, 1980–1984 First female federal Justice Minister (Attorney General): Kim Campbell (Progressive Conservative) First female Defence Minister: Kim Campbell, (Progressive Conservative) First female Minister of Finance: Chrystia Freeland, (Liberal) First female Speaker of the House Nancy Hodges British Columbia Liberal, MLA 1941–1953, made speaker of British Columbia legislature in December 1949.Women in BC Politics First female senator: Cairine Wilson, 1930 First female Governor General of Canada: Jeanne Sauvé, (1984–1990) First female premiers Rita Johnston, British Columbia, 1991 (Social Credit) Nellie Cournoyea, Northwest Territories, 1991–1995, (Consensus government) Catherine Callbeck, Prince Edward Island, 1993–1996, (first elected female Premier) (Liberal) Pat Duncan, Yukon, 2000–2002, (Liberal) Eva Aariak, Nunavut, 2008–2013, (Consensus government) Kathy Dunderdale, Newfoundland and Labrador, 2010–2014, (Progressive Conservative) Alison Redford, Alberta, 2011–2014, (Progressive Conservative) Pauline Marois, Quebec, 2012–2014, (Parti Québécois) Kathleen Wynne, Ontario, 2013–2018, (Liberal) Heather Stefanson, Manitoba, 2021–2023, (Progressive Conservative) Susan Holt, New Brunswick, 2024–present (Liberal) (Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan have not yet had a female premier.)
First female deputy premier in: British Columbia: Grace McCarthy First female MLAs elected in British Columbia: Mary Ellen Smith, Liberal MLA 1918–1928, elected to replace her late husband First female MLA elected in Alberta: Louise McKinney, she was also the first woman elected anywhere in the British Empire, 1917–1921 Alberta Legislature for the Non Partisan League, a left-wing Prohibitionist socialist party. First female MLA elected in Saskatchewan: Sarah Ramsland, Saskatchewan Liberal, Pelly 1919 by-election, 1925. Replaced her husband Max who won the seat in 1917 general election after his death. Was re-elected in 1921 and defeated in 1925. First female MLA elected in Manitoba: Edith McTavish Rogers, Manitoba Liberal MLA 1920–1932 First female MPPs elected in Ontario: Agnes Macphail and Rae Luckock, CCF (the forerunner to the New Democratic Party MPPs for York East 1943–1945, 1948–1951 and for Bracondale 1943–1945 respectively First female MNA elected in Quebec: Marie-Claire Kirkland, elected in 1961. Also first woman appointed a cabinet minister in Quebec, the first woman appointed acting premier, and the first woman judge to serve in the Quebec Provincial Court. First female MLA elected in New Brunswick: Brenda Robertson, New Brunswick Progressive Conservative MLA, 1967–1984 First female candidate in Prince Edward Island: Hilda Ramsay, Prince Edward Island CCF candidate in 1951 First female MLA elected in Prince Edward Island: Jean Canfield, Prince Edward Island Liberal MLA 1970–1979 First female MHA elected in Newfoundland and Labrador (pre-Confederation): Helena Squires, MHA 1930–1932 First female MLA elected in Nova Scotia: Gladys Porter, Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MLA 1960–1967 First female MLA elected in Yukon: G. Jean Gordon, non-affiliated, MLA 1967–1970 First female MLA elected in Northwest Territories: Lena Pedersen (Pederson) in 1970 to 1975 First female MLA elected in Nunavut: Manitok Thompson, Independent, 1999–2003 (Nunavut was created from the Northwest Territories in 1999, so Thompson served in its first legislature.) First female elected in a Nova Scotia municipal election: Mary Teresa Sullivan, Halifax City Council, 1936+ First female elected in an Ontario municipal election: Constance Hamilton, Toronto City Council, 1920–21 First female mayor, appointed: Violet Barss, Delia, Alberta (1920–1922) First female mayor, elected: Barbara Hanley, Webbwood, Ontario (1936–1944) First female mayor of a city: Charlotte Whitton, Ottawa (1951–1956, 1960–1964) First female mayor of: Kentville, Nova Scotia: Gladys Porter (1946–1960) Ottawa, Ontario: Charlotte Whitton (1951–1956, 1960–1964) Prince Rupert, British Columbia: Nora Arnold (1947–1950) Edmonton, Alberta: Jan Reimer (1989–1995) First female city councillor in: Vancouver: Helena Gutteridge in 1937. First female judge in British Columbia: Helen Gregory MacGill in 1917 First female chief justice in: British Columbia: Beverley McLachlin in 1988 Canada: Beverley McLachlin in 2000 Female presidents of 3 bishops at major political parties Agnes Macphail, founding president of the Ontario CCF 1932–34 Gladys Strum, President of Saskatchewan CCF 1944-195? First female lieutenant governors Pauline Mills McGibbon, 22nd lieutenant-governor of Ontario 1974–1980 Pearl McGonigal, 19th lieutenant-governor of Manitoba 1981–1986 Helen Hunley, 12th lieutenant-governor of Alberta 1985–1991 Sylvia Fedoruk, 17th lieutenant-governor of Saskatchewan 1988–1994 Marion Reid, 24th lieutenant-governor of Prince Edward Island 1990–1995 Margaret McCain, 27th lieutenant-governor of New Brunswick 1994–1997 Lise Thibault, 27th lieutenant-governor of Quebec 1997–2007 Myra Freeman, 29th lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia 2000–2006 Iona Campagnolo, 27th lieutenant-governor of British Columbia 2001–2007 Judy Foote, 14th lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, taking office in 2018 First female commissioners of Canadian territories Ione Christensen, 10th commissioner of Yukon 1979 Helen Maksagak, 13th commissioner of the Northwest Territories 1995–1999 Helen Maksagak, 1st commissioner of Nunavut 1999–2000
People with disabilities First hearing-impaired (deaf) person elected in Canada: Gary Malkowski Ontario New Democratic Party MPP York East (East York) 1990–1995 First paraplegic person elected in Alberta: Percy Wickman Alberta Liberal Party MLA Edmonton-Whitemud (1989–1993), Edmonton-Rutherford (1993–2001) First quadriplegic person elected to a Canadian legislature: Doug Mowat British Columbia Social Credit MLA Vancouver-Little Mountain 1983–1991 First quadriplegic person elected to the House of Commons: Steven Fletcher, Conservative, Charleswood—St. James, Manitoba, 2004–2015 First quadriplegic mayor : Sam Sullivan, Mayor of Vancouver, November 2005, December 2008 First legally blind person elected to the House of Commons: J. Trevor Morgan, Progressive Conservative, St. Catharines, Ontario, 1972–1974
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender
First openly gay candidates in Canada Peter Maloney, candidate for Toronto Board of Education in 1972, and for Toronto City Council in 1984, 1985 and 1988 Ian Maclennan, candidate for Ottawa Board of Education in 1976"Gay person running for Board of Education". The Body Politic, Vol. 29 (December 1976/January 1977), p. 5.