[2][3] Her activism began in the 1950s with her work with the Association of Women Electors in Toronto.

[2] In 1960, Macpherson was a founding member of the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, serving as president for a number of years.

[2] On behalf of the organization, she took a trip to Hanoi to voice opposition to the Vietnam War and arranged for Vietnamese women to visit Canada.

[2] In 1971, Macpherson was one of the founding members of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women; she also served as president from 1977 to 1979.

[2] In 1941, Macpherson moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick and met political scientist C.B.