[1] Lily Oddie was educated at the University of Alberta and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she earned a Ph.D. She worked as a psychologist after her graduation and was a member of the Psychologists Association of Alberta, the American Education Research Association, the Canadian Association for Adult Education, the Hamilton Status of Women Committee, the Hamilton-Wentworth Industrial-Education Council, and Hamilton Chamber of Commerce Intern and the Year of the Child Committee.
Oddie was the director of the McMaster University School of Adult Education prior to her election to the Ontario Provincial Legislature.
A Liberal, she lost Sheila Copps's former riding of Hamilton Centre to Mike Davison of the New Democratic Party by 55 votes.
The Ontario Liberal Party under David Peterson dramatically increased the size of their caucus, and Oddie defeated Davison by 384 votes in a rematch from the previous year.
[8] Oddie was not formally accused of wrongdoing, and it is unclear if she had any involvement in the scandal beyond accepting contributions from Starr.