Lillian Dyck facts for kids

Lillian Eva Quan Dyck (born August 24, 1945) is a retired Canadian senator from Saskatchewan. She is a member of the Cree Gordon First Nation and also has Chinese heritage. She made history as the first female First Nations senator and the first Canadian-born senator of Chinese background.

Before becoming a senator, Lillian Dyck was a neuroscientist at the University of Saskatchewan. A neuroscientist studies the brain and nervous system. She was also an associate dean there, which means she helped lead a part of the university. In 1999, she received a special award from Indspire for her lifelong achievements. This award recognized her as one of the first Indigenous women in Canada to have a science career in universities. She still teaches and does research part-time. In 2019, she received another Lifetime Achievement Award from the YWCA Saskatoon.

Lillian Dyck is known for working to make things fair for women, Chinese Canadians, and Indigenous people. She believes everyone should have equal chances in education and jobs.

Early Life and Education

Lillian Dyck was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Her father, Yok Lee Quan, was Chinese, and her mother, Eva Muriel Mcnab, was Cree. Her father came to Canada after paying a special tax called the Head Tax. Her mother was born on the Gordon Reserve. However, she lost her official Indigenous status when she married someone who was not Indigenous. Like many Indigenous women at that time, she was sent to a residential school.

Lillian Dyck's family moved often, living in many small towns in Saskatchewan and Alberta. They kept their Indigenous background a secret to protect themselves from unfair treatment. Her family was often the only non-white family in town.

Her father ran a Chinese cafe. Lillian grew up helping out, doing jobs like waitressing. She worked at places like the Regal Cafe in Killam, Alberta.

Lillian went to Swift Current Collegiate Institute. There, teachers encouraged her to go to university. She earned three degrees from the University of Saskatchewan: a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in 1968, a Master of Science in Biochemistry in 1970, and a Ph.D. in Biological Psychiatry in 1981. In 2007, she received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Cape Breton University.

Career and Public Service

Academic Work

Before joining the Senate, Lillian Dyck was a neuroscientist and an associate dean at the University of Saskatchewan. Her research looked at how certain medicines work to help treat brain problems and strokes. She was recognized with a lifetime achievement award in 1999 for being a pioneer. She continues to teach and do research part-time.

Serving in the Senate

Lillian Dyck was chosen to be a senator on March 24, 2005. She was recommended by the Prime Minister at the time, Paul Martin.

When she first became a senator, she wanted to be part of the New Democratic Party (NDP). However, the NDP does not support the Senate, so they did not officially accept her as one of their senators. She then called herself an Independent New Democratic Party senator. Later, in 2009, she joined the Liberal Senate group.

In 2014, the leader of the Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau, decided that all Liberal senators, including Lillian Dyck, would no longer be part of the main Liberal group. They continued to work together as the Senate Liberal Caucus, but they were independent from the main political party. In 2019, this group changed its name to the Progressive Senate Group.

Important Work in the Senate

As a senator, Lillian Dyck focused on several key areas:

• Indigenous Women: She worked on issues like missing and murdered Indigenous women and violence against them.
• Fairness for Indigenous Women: She also worked on a law (Bill S-3) to help Indigenous women get their official status back if they had lost it by marrying non-Indigenous men.
• Women in Science: She supported getting more women into science and technology jobs and helping them stay there.
• Indigenous Education and Jobs: She worked to help Indigenous people get into and succeed in schools and jobs.
• Mental Health: She was interested in understanding and treating mental health conditions.

She spoke out strongly against violence against women. She successfully pushed for changes to laws that would make judges give tougher punishments for violent crimes against Indigenous women.

In 2018, Lillian Dyck was recognized as one of "the Indigenous Famous Six" by The Feminist Alliance for International Action. This group includes important Indigenous women who have worked for change.

Speeches and Presentations

Lillian Dyck gave many speeches about important topics during her time as a senator. Here are a few examples:

Works Inspired by Her

Lillian Dyck's childhood story inspired a play called Café Daughter, written by Kenneth T. Williams. This play was later made into a movie in 2023, also called Café Daughter, by filmmaker Shelley Niro.