in 1989, mccoy was appointed as alberta's minister of labour and minister responsible for human rights, in which portfolio she was responsible for alberta's personnel administration office. she set up an alberta human rights commission inquiry into the aryan nations which was responsible for investigating and eliminating supremacist activity in the province. mccoy also shed light on violence against women and spearheaded the lake louise declaration, which was alberta's first action plan designed to fight violence against women, and the first all-canada declaration on the subject.