Lillian Eva Quan Dyck, (born August 24, 1945) is a retired Canadian

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. A member of the

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

Gordon First Nation in Saskatchewan, and a first generation Chinese Canadian, she is the first female First Nations senator and first Canadian-born senator of Chinese descent. Before being appointed to the Senate, Dyck was a

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist specializing in neuroscience that deals with the anatomy and function of neurons, Biological neural network, neural circuits, and glia, and their Behavior, behavioral, biological, and psycholo ...

with the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

, where she was also an associate dean. On March 12, 1999, 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 Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

Indspire Indspire, formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), is a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families and c ...

. She continues to teach at the university as well as conduct research on a part-time basis. In 2019 she received a Women of Distinction Awards Lifetime Achievement Award from the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

Saskatoon. Alongside her research and academic work, the Honourable Dr. Lillian Eva Quan Dyck is well known for advocating for equity in the education and employment of women, Chinese Canadians and Aboriginals.

Early life and education

Dyck was born in

North Battleford North Battleford is a city in west-central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the seventh largest city in the province and is directly across the North Saskatchewan River from the town of Battleford. Together, the two communities are known as "The B ...

, Saskatchewan, to a Chinese father, Yok Lee Quan, and

mother, Eva Muriel Mcnab. Her father came to Canada after paying the

Head Tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

, leaving his first family behind in China. Her mother was born on the Gordon Reserve, but lost her status when she married a non-Indian. She, like most First Nations women at the time, was sent to a residential school. Dyck moved around frequently, living in many small towns in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Her family hid their Indigenous heritage in order to protect themselves from racism. Taking her father's last name of Quan, her family was essentially the only Chinese family in town. As most First Nations people were living on reserves, she had no connection to them. Her family was the only non-white family in town. Her father ran a Chinese cafe. She grew up waitressing and doing many other jobs, such as at the Regal Cafe in Killam, Alberta, where her mother's tombstone lies. Dyck attended Swift Current Collegiate Institute, where she was actively encouraged to go to university. Dyck earned her Bachelor of Arts (Honours), Master of Science Degrees in Biochemistry in 1968 and 1970 respectively, as well as her Ph.D. in Biological Psychiatry in 1981, all from the University of Saskatchewan. She was conferred a Doctor of Letters, Honoris Causa by

Cape Breton University Cape Breton University (CBU) is a public university located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only post-secondary degree-granting institution within the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and on Cape Breton Island. The university is enabl ...

in 2007.

Career

Academic

Before being appointed to the Senate, Dyck was a

with the

, where she was also associate dean. On March 12, 1999, Dyck, who is of

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

. Her research focuses on mechanisms of action of

monoamine oxidase inhibitor Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are a drug class, class of drugs that inhibit the activity of one or both monoamine oxidase enzymes: monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) and monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B). They are best known as effective antidepressa ...

s to identify drugs useful for treatment of

neurological disorder Neurological disorders represent a complex array of medical conditions that fundamentally disrupt the functioning of the nervous system. These disorders affect the brain, spinal cord, and nerve networks, presenting unique diagnosis, treatment, and ...

s and

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

. She continues to teach at the university as well as conduct research on a part-time basis.

Senate

Dyck was appointed to the Senate on the recommendation of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Paul Martin Paul Edgar Philippe Martin (born August 28, 1938), also known as Paul Martin Jr., is a Canadian lawyer and retired politician who served as the 21st prime minister of Canada and the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 2003 to 2006. Th ...

on March 24, 2005. Upon appointment, Dyck wished to sit as a

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...

senator, but NDP spokesperson Karl Belanger immediately indicated that the party would not recognize her as a member of the NDP

caucus A caucus is a group or meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to ...

: as the party platform specifically favours abolition of the Senate, it refused to confer legitimacy on the body by accepting Dyck; additionally, Dyck's membership in the NDP was revealed to have lapsed. Under the rules of the Senate, senators are free to designate themselves however they see fit, and Dyck changed her designation to say ''Independent New Democratic Party''. On January 15, 2009, she joined the Liberal Senate caucus. On January 29, 2014, Liberal Party leader

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

announced all Liberal Senators, including Dyck, were removed from the Liberal caucus, and would continue sitting as Independents. The Senators referred to themselves as the

Senate Liberal Caucus The Senate Liberal Caucus (), also known as the Senate Liberals (), was, from 2014 to 2019, a parliamentary grouping in the Senate of Canada made up of independent senators who were individually members of the Liberal Party of Canada and were ap ...

even though they are no longer members of the parliamentary Liberal caucus. In 2014 Dyck accused Conservative MP

Rob Clarke Robert G. Clarke (born March 2, 1967) is a politician and career Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. He was the Conservative Party of Canada's candidate in Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for the March 17, 2008 federal by-election ...

, who is also native, of "behaving like a white man" by pushing the Indian Act Amendment and Replacement Act. She later said she recognized the comment could be hurtful. In April 201
The Feminist Alliance for International Action
recognized Lillian as a member of

the Indigenous Famous Six The Indigenous Famous Six was created by The Feminist Alliance for International Action for the purpose of advocating for Indigenous women's rights. This collective action by six Indigenous women is similar to the collective effort taken by the " Fa ...

. Other members are Jeannette Corbiere-Lavell, Yvonne Bedard, Sharon McIvor, Lynn Gehl, and Senator Sandra Lovelace Nicholas. In November 2019, Dyck joined the rest of the

in deciding to dissolve the caucus and form the new

Progressive Senate Group The Progressive Senate Group () is a parliamentary group in the Senate of Canada. It was formed on November 14, 2019, out of the former Senate Liberal Caucus. It is currently led by Pierre Dalphond. History Background On January 29, 2014, a ...

Political work

Dyck's priorities as a senator included Aboriginal women (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Violence towards Aboriginal Women), Bill C-31 and its impact on Aboriginal women and men, women in science (recruitment and retention of women into professional scientific and technological careers), Aboriginal education and employment (recruitment and retention of aboriginals in the educational system and on the job), and mental health (the causes and treatment of psychiatric disorders). She was outspoken on the issue of

violence against women Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence (GBV) or sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), violent, violence primarily committed by Man, men or boys against woman, women or girls. Such violence is often considered hat ...

and successfully advocated for changes to legislation that will require judges to consider stiffer penalties for violent crimes against Indigenous women. She also 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.

= Speeches

Works inspired by her

''Café Daughter'', a play written by Kenneth T. Williams, was a fictionalized account of Dyck's childhood. The play was adapted into the 2023 film '' Café Daughter'' by Mohawk filmmaker Shelley Niro.

Bibliography

Source:

Selected academic publications

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Non-academic publications

* Dyck, Lillian E. "Dare to be brave: stand up for yourself." ''In : Women in the Canadian academic tundra: challenging the chill.'' (eds.) Elena Hannah, Linda Paul, Swani Vethamany-Globus. (Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press; c2002) : 47-50. * Dyck, Lillian E.."The University of Saskatchewan: a portrait." ''Women's Education.'' 9:2 (1991) :23.

References

External links

Lillian Dyck
*
From ‘Café Daughter’ to senator: The story of Lillian Eva Dyck takes the stage at the NAC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyck, Lillian 1945 births 20th-century Canadian biologists 20th-century Canadian women scientists 21st-century Canadian biologists 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada 21st-century Canadian women politicians 21st-century Canadian women scientists 20th-century First Nations people 21st-century First Nations people 21st-century indigenous leaders of the Americas 20th-century First Nations women 21st-century First Nations women Canadian neuroscientists Canadian senators from Saskatchewan Canadian university and college faculty deans Women deans (academic) Women members of the Senate of Canada Cree politicians First Nations women in politics Independent Canadian senators Living people People from North Battleford Academic staff of the University of Saskatchewan Canadian women biologists Liberal Party of Canada senators Senate Liberal Caucus Progressive Senate Group Women in Saskatchewan politics Canadian women neuroscientists First Nations scientists Indspire Awards Indigenous Canadian senators Scientists from Saskatchewan Canadian people of Chinese descent Indigenous Canadian women academics First Nations academics George Gordon First Nation people Officers of the Order of Canada Politicians from Saskatoon Cree academics Cree women