Tilly Rolston (February 23, 1887 – October 12, 1953) was a Canadian politician. Initially elected to the

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

provincial legislature as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

in the 1941 provincial election, she crossed the floor and joined W.A.C. Bennett in the

British Columbia Social Credit Party The British Columbia Social Credit Party was a conservative political party in British Columbia, Canada. It was the governing party of British Columbia for all but three years between the 1952 provincial election and the 1991 election. For fou ...

before the watershed election in 1952. She was the second woman to be a cabinet minister in British Columbia, and the first woman in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

to have a portfolio. In her role as Minister of Education, she introduced a new method of school finance that came to be known as the "Rolston Formula". She was also instrumental in introducing what was effectively a sex-education program into the school curriculum. She was defeated in the 1953 election by Liberal leader Arthur Laing. Despite her defeat she remained Education Minister until her death from cancer four months later.

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British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Women MLAs in British Columbia 1887 births 1953 deaths 20th-century Canadian women politicians Women government ministers of Canada Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia {{SocialCredit-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub, Rolston, Tilly