Parr-Johnston would relocate to the United States of America briefly in 1971 to teach at her father's alma mater, Wesleyan University before returning to Canada to join the federal civil service in various capacities over the next 5 years.

Parr-Johnston accepted the position of Senior Policy Analyst and Director of Government Affairs at Inco in 1976 where she remained for 3 years.

[3] In 1979, Parr-Johnston won a political appointment as the Chief of Staff to Ron Atkey, the Canadian Minister of Employment and Immigration during the short-lived Conservative minority government.

On June 16, 1995, coinciding with the 21st G7 summit taking place in Halifax, Parr-Johnston awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters to First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, a fellow alumna of Wellesley College.

[17] The Investiture Ceremony programme read as follows: For decades, Elizabeth Parr-Johnston has made important contributions to the educational and voluntary sectors in Canada.

Her expertise and wise counsel have been sought by public, private and community boards including those of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies and Symphony Nova Scotia.

On March 9, 1982, at the Royal Canadian Military Institute in Toronto, Ontario, Parr-Johnston married Archibald F. Johnston, former Vice President of General Electric.