Callbeck was elected to the PEI Legislative Assembly, becoming only the second woman ever elected as an MLA in the province.
On April 29, 1974, Catherine Callbeck was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, representing a district within the province. This marked her entry into elected politics and made her only the second woman ever elected to the PEI legislature since the province's founding.
At the time, women's participation in provincial legislatures across Canada remained extremely limited, and Callbeck's election represented a significant, if still rare, breakthrough for female representation in Maritime politics. She brought with her a background in business, having run a family retail enterprise, which distinguished her from many of her legislative colleagues.
Her election set the stage for a groundbreaking legislative career: she would go on to serve as PEI's first female Minister of Health and Social Services and the first Minister Responsible for the Disabled and for Non-Status Indians between 1974 and 1978. This early achievement was foundational, establishing her credibility and experience that would later propel her to the premiership — a role no woman in Canada had yet held through direct election.