 McPhillips was a candidate for the British Columbia Conservative Party in the Vancouver Centre (1933, 1941 provincial elections) and Victoria City (1952).He was first elected at the Victoria riding in
the 1957 general election and was re-elected twice, in the 1958 and 1962 federal elections.McPhillips served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries from August 1962 to February 1963.