Mary Irene Parlby (née Marryat; 9 January 1868 – 12 July 1965) was a Canadian women's farm leader, activist and politician.

She worked to implement social reforms that helped farm women and children and was an advocate of public health programs.

In 1935, the University of Alberta granted her an honorary Doctorate of Laws, making her the first woman in its history to receive such a distinction.

She received a good education, studying music and elocution, and was interested in theatre, though such a career was considered inappropriate for a woman of her social status.

[6] In 1884, when Irene was 16, her father retired from his work in India and returned with his family to England, where they rented a farm in Limpsfield, Surrey.

[8] In 1896, Alix Westhead, a family friend from their time in India, invited Irene to stay with her in the Northwest Territories (present-day Alberta).

"[16] In the 1921 Alberta general election, Parlby put her name forward as a candidate for the riding of Lacombe, which she won, to her surprise.

[9] Throughout her term in office, Parlby used her influence to further numerous social reforms, primarily those of interest to women and children.

She supported immigration, and in a time when nativism was on the rise, felt that people of all ethnic origins should embrace their heritage and value and preserve their culture.

[22] Like many other prominent left wing Albertan politicians of the time, including fellow Famous Five members Murphy and McClung, Parlby was an advocate for the eugenics movement in Alberta.

The Act disproportionately affected socially vulnerable people, including females and young adults, along with those of Indigenous ancestry.

[23] Parlby expressed sympathy for the mothers of mentally ill children and stated that the "great and only solution to the problem" was the sterilization of feeble-minded persons.