In the 1971 provincial election she ran as the Progressive Conservative in the downtown Toronto riding of St. David. She defeated NDP candidate Giles Endicott by 2,603 votes. She was diagnosed with breast cancer before entering the legislature, but did not share this information with her colleagues. She served as a backbench supporter of Bill Davis's government, and was named a parliamentary assistant in 1974. She was re-elected in 1975 by a smaller margin over NDP contender Jim Lemon and Liberal candidate June Rowlands. On October 7, 1975 she was appointed to cabinet by Premier Bill Davis as Minister of Government Services. After a cabinet shuffle on February 3, 1977, she was named Minister of Revenue.