After graduating from the University of Manitoba and attending the Sorbonne in Paris, following in the footsteps of her father, J. S. Woodsworth, founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (C.C.F.), Grace MacInnis became one of its key members.

She married a prominent member of the C.C.F., Angus MacInnis, M.P. and in the early days of her marriage, Mrs. MacInnis, motivated by her strong belief in democratic socialism, spoke on behalf of the Party all across Canada. She was a delegate to the Party’s founding convention in Regina in 1933 and subsequently held many senior offices with both the C.C.F. and later the NDP, provincially and federally.

Between 1941 and 1945, she was a member of the provincial legislature for Vancouver Burrard. At the time of her appointment to the Order of British Columbia, she, along with only one other, were the only surviving members of the Legislature elected in 1941.

In 1965, Grace MacInnis was elected to the House of Commons in the riding of Vancouver Kingsway to become B.C.’s first woman member of Parliament and served until her retirement in 1974.

Throughout her lifetime, Grace MacInnis was recognized as a champion of women’s rights. She served on a federal committee inquiring into post war problems of women and was a delegate to the International Assembly of Women convened in 1946.

During her years in Parliament she was her party’s spokesperson on consumer affairs and was a strong and effective advocate for social reform. Through it all, her efforts have always been marked by her quick wit and good grace.

Included in her several articles and publications is her best-selling biography, J. S. Woodsworth – A Man to Remember, published in 1953.

She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974 in recognition of her service to others.