 In 1985, McPhedran became the youngest lawyer to be named a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her co-leadership of the Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution.The Ad Hoc Committee was a grass roots movement for strengthening equality rights during the drafting of the Constitution of Canada.In 2001, McPhedran was named one of Canada's 10 most influential women's rights activists by Homemaker's Magazine.