Senators Group. After being appointed to the Senate, McCoy was an influential voice for the role of the individual senator, for Senate reform, for an inclusive federation and the role of Alberta in Canada. McCoy was one of the first members of the Senate of Canada to blog and tweet on her experiences in Ottawa and the political issues of the day. A feature article on McCoy in Maclean's called her a "symbol of defiance" as one of only two Progressive Conservative senators then remaining in federal politics and someone who "defines herself as socially progressive and fiscally conservative". Personal life McCoy was married to Miles Patterson, a lawyer. She died on December 29, 2020, in Ottawa. Notes References Sources External links 1946 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Canadian politicians 20th-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century Canadian politicians 21st-century Canadian women politicians Canadian King's Counsel Canadian senators from Alberta Canadian Senators Group Canadian women lawyers Independent Canadian senators Lawyers in Alberta Leaders of political parties in Canada Politicians from Brandon, Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party of Canada senators Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs University of Alberta alumni University of Calgary faculty Members of the Executive Council of Alberta Women government ministers of Canada Women members of the Senate of Canada Women MLAs in Alberta