Marion Boyd

Phyllis Marion Boyd ( Watt; March 26, 1946 – October 11, 2022) was a Canadian politician in Ontario.

Boyd was born in Toronto on March 26, 1946, to Bill and Dorothy Watt.

She studied at Glendon College, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in English and history in 1968.

From 1968 to 1973, she worked as an assistant to the president of York University.

In 1975–76, she helped faculty members of York University win their first union contract.

She subsequently worked as an executive director of the London Battered Women's Advocacy Clinic, and served two terms as president of the London Status of Women Action Group.

She was widely known as a feminist.

In 1985, Boyd was the NDP candidate in London North in the provincial election of 1985, but finished third against incumbent Liberal Ron Van Horne.

She ran in London Centre in the 1987 election, and lost to sitting Premier David Peterson by almost 9,000 votes.

She campaigned as a federal New Democrat in the 1988 general election, finished third behind Liberal Joe Fontana and Progressive Conservative Jim Jepson in London East.

She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1999 who represented the riding of London Centre.

She served as a member of cabinet in the government of Bob Rae.

Boyd sought a rematch against Peterson in the 1990 provincial election.

This time she won, defeating the Premier by more than 8,000 votes.

It was almost unheard of for a provincial premier to be defeated in his own riding, and the size of Boyd's victory was all the more surprising.

The NDP won the election, and the new Premier, Bob Rae, appointed her as Minister of Education on October 1, 1990.

When fellow cabinet member Anne Swarbrick resigned due to health issues, Boyd took over responsibility for Women's Issues on September 11, 1991.

Boyd launched a high-profile campaign against domestic abuse in the same year.

She was transferred to the Ministry of Community and Social Services on October 15, 1991, when Zanana Akande resigned due to a conflict of interest.

Boyd was promoted to Attorney General of Ontario on February 3, 1993, the first woman to hold that position as well as the first non-lawyer.

In this capacity she was responsible for the Equality Rights Statute Amendment Act (Bill 167), that would have provided same-sex couples with rights and obligations mostly equal to those of opposite-sex common law couples.

The bill failed on a free vote when twelve NDP members voted with the opposition parties against the bill.

The bill's failure was a personal disappointment for Boyd, who had invested considerable effort in promoting its passage.

The Progressive Conservative Party, which voted unanimously against Bill 167, formed government after the next election and ultimately passed similar legislation five years later when required by the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling in M v H.

Boyd also approved a highly controversial plea-bargain deal that allowed serial killer Karla Homolka to receive a 12-year prison sentence in return for testimony which led to the conviction of Homolka's then-husband, Paul Bernardo.

The deal was criticized in much of the Canadian media, and many questioned Boyd's judgment in the matter.

At the time the extent of Homolka's personal involvement in Bernardo's crimes was not known.

Boyd remained as Attorney General until the Rae government was defeated in the 1995 election.

She was one of seventeen NDP MPPs to successfully retain their seats in that election, defeating PC candidate Patrick McGuinness by 1,732 votes.

The London Centre riding was eliminated by redistribution in 1996.

Boyd ran against fellow incumbent Dianne Cunningham of the Progressive Conservative Party in London North Centre, and lost by just over 1,700 votes.

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Boyd remained a high-profile MPP, serving as the NDP's Health Critic from 1997 to 1999.

Boyd was appointed chair to the Task Force on the Health Effects of Woman Abuse in 2000.