She was a radical for her time, advocating for birth control, the intellectual parity of men and women, and economic security among many other issues.

Her biographer, Allison Campbell wrote of her: "By the standards of her time, to be ambitious, deliberately single, determinedly self-supporting and continuously outspoken was cause enough to be labeled as a radical."

After one year, she transferred to Brandon College,[2] and in 1910 received a diploma from the Department of Expression and Physical Culture for proficiency in public speaking.

[2] In Toronto, part of the student's training was to visit local factories and hospitals, likely with an eye to providing the workers and patients with "uplifting entertainment."

[6] Brigden's mother was a Quaker and her influence was strongly seen in the development of her ideas on political participation, pacifism and sexual equality, but her father's Methodism had the most immediate impact economically.

[10] In 1914, they agreed to terms and Brigden began training in La Crosse, Wisconsin as a Methodist social service worker,[11] under a self-directed study of laws governing sexual behavior and books on the psychology of sex.

They wanted to redeem souls, and while she saw that as important, Brigden acknowledged that addressing economic shortfalls was imperative for real change, foreshadowing her later move into politics.

One of the influences for her divergence at this early stage was Jane Addams, who Brigden visited at Hull House, over her employer's objections.

[13] There were few, if any, women's predecessors in the Methodist social worker pool and Brigden was responsible for arranging her own itinerary, as well as writing her own lectures and creating the promotional materials she needed.

[24] The Labor Church movement began in Europe in the previous century and provided the link between Brigden's belief in social gospel and her need for political action.

[34] The LWSEC studied a wide variety of issues from access to birth control to wages to legal concerns;[35] health care, dental care, government sponsored hospitals and unemployment insurance to agricultural debt, lack of irrigation, and cooperative markets;[36] and free textbooks to[37] the intellectual equality of men and women.

[43] After her loss in the 1930 election, she moved to Winnipeg and[44] began submitting articles to the ILP Weekly News and the Manitoba Commonwealth.

In 1958, after four years of planning, a resolution was passed to open a referral centre to help Native persons relocating to urban areas access the social services available.

[49][2] In 1970, Brigden was honored by the Manitoba Historical Society receiving a Centennial Medal and in 1973, her alma mater, Brandon University awarded her an honorary degree.