On March 12,1999, Lillian Dyck, who is one of the first Aboriginal women in Canada to pursue an academic career in the sciences, was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Indspire.
23 Facts About Lillian Dyck
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Lillian Dyck continues to teach at the university as well as conduct research on a part-time basis.
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Lillian Dyck was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, to a Chinese father, Yok Lee Quan, and Cree mother, Eva Muriel Mcnab.
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Lillian Dyck's father came to Canada after paying the Head Tax, leaving his first family behind in China.
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Lillian Dyck's mother was born on the Gordon Reserve, but lost her status when she married a non-Indian.
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Lillian Dyck moved around frequently, living in many small towns in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
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Lillian Dyck's family hid their Indigenous heritage in order to protect themselves from racism.
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Lillian Dyck's family was the only non-white family in town.
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Lillian Dyck grew up waitressing and doing many other jobs, such as at the Regal Cafe in Killam, Alberta, where her mother's tombstone lies.
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Lillian Dyck attended Swift Current Collegiate Institute, where she was actively encouraged to go to university.
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Lillian Dyck earned her Bachelor of Arts, Master of Science Degrees in Biochemistry in 1968 and 1970 respectively, as well as her Ph.
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Lillian Dyck was conferred a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa by Cape Breton University in 2007.
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On March 12,1999, Lillian Dyck, who is of Cree and Chinese heritage and was one of the first Aboriginal women in Canada to pursue an academic career in the sciences, was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Indspire.
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Lillian Dyck's research focuses on mechanisms of action of monoamine oxidase inhibitors to identify drugs useful for treatment of neurological disorders and stroke.
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Lillian Dyck continues to teach at the university as well as conduct research on a part-time basis.
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Lillian Dyck was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of Prime Minister Paul Martin on March 24,2005.
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Under the rules of the Senate, senators are free to designate themselves however they see fit, and Lillian Dyck changed her designation to say Independent New Democratic Party.
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On January 29,2014, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced all Liberal Senators, including Lillian Dyck, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents.
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In 2014 Lillian Dyck accused Conservative MP Rob Clarke, who is native, of "behaving like a white man" by pushing the Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act.
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Lillian Dyck later said she recognized the comment could be hurtful.
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In November 2019, Lillian Dyck joined the rest of the Senate Liberal Caucus in deciding to dissolve the caucus and form the new Progressive Senate Group.
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Lillian Dyck was outspoken on the issue of violence against women and successfully advocated for changes to legislation that will require judges to consider stiffer penalties for violent crimes against Indigenous women.
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Lillian Dyck worked on Bill S-3, a bill that aimed to restore official Indian status for thousands of women who lost their status for marrying non-indigenous men.