A B.C. political icon known for her relentless optimism and devotion to the once-powerful Social Credit party has died at the age of 89 after a lengthy battle with a brain tumour.
Grace McCarthy, who was known in political circles by some as “Amazing Grace,” passed away peacefully at her home in Vancouver Wednesday night, according to a news release from the Pace Group.
Premier Christy Clark issued a statement Thursday, saying she was deeply saddened by the passing of McCarthy, whom she described as inspirational and an “agent of change.”
“From playing an instrumental role in bringing Expo 86 to Vancouver, to starting the first toll-free help line for children, to becoming Canada’s first female deputy premier, she left an indelible mark on our entire province,” said Clark, who wasn’t yet born when McCarthy was elected in 1966 as the MLA for Vancouver-Little Mountain. “Equal parts intelligent, warm, and tough, she led by example, inspiring more than one generation of women in B.C. and Canada to stand up and pursue a career in politics. ‘Amazing Grace’ indeed.”
Clark noted that at a time when female leaders were hard to find in Canadian politics, McCarthy worked to give equal rights to women. There was a time when women were unable to apply for mortgages without a male guarantor until McCarthy worked with provincial and federal governments to fix that, Clark said.
McCarthy was president of the Social Credit Party and credited with helping her party win back power from the NDP in 1975. Her popularity and intelligence landed her several cabinet posts over her lengthy career, including tourism, human resources, provincial secretary and economic development.
She never became premier but ran for the leadership of the party in 1986 against several candidates, including Bill Vander Zalm, who recalled Thursday that it was McCarthy who encouraged him to enter the race. Vander Zalm won the race and went on to become premier until he resigned in 1991 over a scandal related to the sale of his Fantasy Gardens property in Richmond.
“I was out of politics and wanted to stay out of politics — I didn’t want much more of it. I’d been there, done that. But she convinced me that I should really take a run at the leadership,” Vander Zalm told the Courier by telephone. “I made it clear that in no uncertain terms that I didn’t enter to run in anything except to win.”
Vander Zalm remembered McCarthy as a great organizer, very good at politics and “working all the angles” in her three-decade career as a politician.
“She was very political — everything was political,” he said of McCarthy, who would later become leader of the party in the early 1990s.
McCarthy was born in Vancouver and graduated from King Edward high school. At the age of 17, she cashed in a $50 war bond and opened her own flower shop, Grayce Florists, which she developed into five retail locations across the city.
In 1992, she received the Order of Canada. The Order of B.C. was bestowed on McCarthy in 2004. In 1995, she created the C.H.I.L.D. Foundation (Children with Intestinal Liver Disorders), a cause she remembered until she died.
"Through the efforts of Grace McCarthy and her resolute determination and creativity, the CH.I.L.D. Foundation has initiated Canada’s first National IBD Research Network which brings researchers from across Canada together for the first time to work cooperatively for a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis," a press release from the foundation said. "Due to Grace McCarthy’s vision and volunteerism, the CH.I.L.D. Foundation has been responsible for funding 90 per cent of all research for Crohn’s Disease in British Columbia. Her impact on British Columbia and Canada has been immeasurable."
Funeral details and arrangements will be announced in the coming days.
