For thousands of Canadians, Grace MacInnis was and is a powerful source of inspiration - a touchstone of enduring values.

Daughter of the legendary, large and boisterous J.S. Woodsworth family, she became a legend herself, serving for a number of years as the only woman member of the Parliament in Ottawa, having previously been a member of the British Columbia Legislature.

She was an inspiration for the women legislators who followed her. As her brother Bruce once remarked, "With Grace, right was right, no half-way between."

Ann Farrell has caught the essence of Grace in vivid detail and we see clearly influences that molded her from childhood. She was truly "born to socialism." Her father, J.S. Woodsworth, was a founder of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the forerunner of the New Democratic Party.

Born in Winnipeg in 1905 and brought up in British Columbia, Grace MacInnis's life spanned a tumultuous period in Canadian history, including World War I, the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike, the Depression, World War II and the world of the United Nations.

Despite the Woodsworth family's genteel poverty, education, including extracurricular lessons and travel were considered essential. Grace studied in France and was fluently bilingual.

There was an abiding love between Grace and her husband Angus, also a member of Parliament and originally a farm boy from Prince Edward Island. Many of their affectionate letters are included here. She teamed with him for more than 35 years to fight for Canada's underprivileged.

Grace's story and the human values she championed, have never been more relevant as we search for new solutions.

Ann Farrell's profile page