Eileen Dailly
In honour of International Women’s Day on March 8th, the City of Burnaby Archives recognizes the accomplishments of educator and Burnaby North MLA Eileen Dailly. Dailly served as a teacher, school trustee and chairman of the Burnaby School Board prior to her election to the BC legislature in 1966. In 1972, she became the Minister of Education—just the second woman to hold the office— and the first woman to be named Deputy Premier.
During her time as Minister of Education, Dailly banned corporal punishment (“the strap”) in public schools and required that all school districts provide kindergaten. As a former teacher, she knew the critical importance of early education and was concerned for the children whose parents could not afford to send them to private kindergartens.