The family of the late Murray Sinclair commemorated his life as a “beacon of integrity and compassion” at a memorial service in his honor at the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg, attended by the public, Canada’s Governor-General and Prime Minister. I’m reminiscing. Sunday afternoon.
CBC News shares Special interview in memory of Sinclair It starts at 1:30pm (Central Time).
Murray Sinclair, an Anishinabe lawyer who was the first Indigenous person appointed to a Manitoba judgeship and later served as lead member of the Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a senator, died early Monday in Winnipeg at the age of 73. He passed away.
Murray Sinclair, a member of the Peguis First Nation, was born in 1951 on what was once St. Peter’s Reserve, just north of Selkirk. His spiritual name, Mazina Gizik Ivan, means “one who speaks of pictures in the sky” in the Anishinaabemowin language.
“For us, our father was a ceremonial leader and a teacher. But for countless others, we recognize that he was also a leader in politics, business, and the legal world. Today. The memorial service is a beautiful celebration of the depth and breadth of my father’s work: his lifelong commitment to human rights and justice, and his relentless pursuit of truth. the family said in a statement Sunday.
“Lead us to a better path”: Niigaan Sinclair
At the start of the ceremony, Murray Sinclair’s son, Nyigaan Sinclair, said his father had long cared for people and Sunday was a day for those in attendance to care for him.
“Few people have shaped this country like my father,” Nyigaan said.
“And all of us, First Nations, Canadians, newcomers, all of us, new to this land, whether we have been here before or not, our Father has made us better. There are very few people who can say he has changed the course of this country for the better. He has been here since time immemorial, and we have all been touched by him in one way or another.”
Nyigaan also asked those who use Sinclair’s spiritual name, Mazina Gizik Ivan, “to add that little ‘Ivan’ at the end of his name, because it means he is now an ancestor.” It’s because of recognition.”
“These are our ancestors who are doing that work in that direction for all of us,” Nyigaan explained. “And if he remembers, if he can do the job, because when he hears his name, he might want to go back to this side, he might want to turn around, he might be tempted. ” to feel sad thinking about us.
“But in our ceremony, he goes to his relatives, so that’s the most fun time.”
Nigaan must also “confess” that he is angry at the country for taking away his father and “spending his life fighting racism, division, violence and genocide in this country.” He also said that there was no such thing.
“I am angry that he was the only voice of dignity against a wall of insensitivity,” Nyigaan said. “And he frequently worked with leaders who treated people very poorly.”
Nigaan was angry that his father was not allowed to do the things he wanted to do, such as carpentry, and said, “We lost our father to a country that never treated him as a gift.” “My father missed most of his life because he gave it to him.”
But Nigaan said he came forward not because he was “over it,” but because people his age and younger watched his parents “spend their lives fighting against racism, violence, and genocide.” spoke.
Nigaan said he knows people are doing this to ensure they have a safe place to live, clean water to drink and a language to speak. As a parent, he can understand why his father “did what he did.”
He also recalled talking to his father at the hospital, and his father kept telling him to take care of himself.
But even as he remembered the difficult times his father went through on his travels and the stories he told him, his answer to why he spent so much time on his job was simple: said Nyigaan.
“Do you know what he said to me? He simply said, ‘I’m called.'”
WATCH | Murray Sinclair’s son remembers his father’s words about change.
Nyigaan Sinclair, son of Murray Sinclair, spoke about his father’s love for his country and shared what the prominent Manitoba lawyer, who was an Anishinabe senator and led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, had to say about change. “If the people of this country believe and act, change will happen.” It will happen.
Governor-General and Prime Minister give speeches
Mary Simon, Canada’s first Inuk governor-general, told CBC that Sinclair led Canada in a kind and positive way that gave people hope. Mr. Sinclair said he enjoyed working with him in part because he enjoyed working with him.
“He paved the way for a lot of the things we are working on today and the many injustices within the system that had to be exposed in order to solve and solve the problems that are impacting Indigenous peoples. “I think I exposed it ‘very much,'” she said.
Simon said when she became emotional talking about residential schools during a Truth and Reconciliation Commission event in Edmonton, Sinclair hugged her and told her it was okay. I remember.
She also had the privilege of investing in Sinclair two years ago as a Companion to the Order of Canada for Sinclair’s Life’s Work.
In a speech on Sunday, Simon said Sinclair had a “heart brave enough to expose injustice, yet generous enough to make those around him feel welcome and important.” Ta.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Mr. Sinclair nine years ago, about a month into his term, and recalled, “I felt the weight of responsibility that Canadians had entrusted to him.”
That was the day the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report was released, Trudeau told attendees.
The Prime Minister also said that over the years, Mr Sinclair had become a wise teacher, a trusted confidant, an insightful mentor and a friend who always challenged him to do better.
“He knew that progress could only be achieved by meeting people where they are and taking them with them,” he said. “As we encourage them to open up, think critically and ask tough questions about who we are.
“That’s what Murray believed, that’s what Murray was,” Trudeau said.
national commemoration ceremony
Earlier this week, the provincial and federal governments announced plans for the service, the first national commemoration to honor Indigenous leaders, starting at around 2 p.m. PT at an arena in downtown Winnipeg.
The service will include Red River Métis fiddler Morgan Grace, Peguis First Nation singer-songwriter William Prince, Cree and Salish musician Fawn Wood, and Oge Cree singer-songwriter・A musical performance by Aisanabee was also included.
“It may be the honor of my life to be here with you today, as family and as friends, to celebrate the legacy of this great man,” Prince said before Sunday’s performance.
A statement from the family said Murray Sinclair was buried on Thursday and a full Midewiwin funeral was held as West Gateway Manager and Road Manager at Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge.
“He asked us to be kind to one another, to support young people in exploring who they are and where they come from, and to believe in truth and justice. We are humbled as we carry on his memory. We thank everyone who expressed their love and respect to him and honored his legacy with us.” spoke.
Murray Sinclair served as co-commissioner. Manitoba’s 1988 Aboriginal Justice Surveyemphasized the need to consider the background of Indigenous offenders when making sentences.
Marie Wilson, who served as co-commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with Murray Sinclair, says Canada doesn’t have a long history of recognizing the greatness of Indigenous peoples, but Sinclair believes that in some ways this is being properly celebrated. “I think this is abnormal,” he said. So that the whole country may know of his accomplishments.
“I’m not afraid that if we lose Murray, there will be a huge hole that no one else can fill. I think it’s important to remember his extraordinary life and professional contributions. “He was first in so many areas, but that doesn’t mean he will be last,” Wilson said at the Canada Life Centre.
Sen. Marylou McPhedran said multiple times that Sinclair would pick one of the TRC’s 94 calls to action and “do whatever I personally can to make that happen for all of Canada.” He said he heard it.
“For many of us, I think it highlights that we need to work collectively, but we also need to work on an individual level. We can do that,” McPhedran said at the Arena before the service launched. .
Betsy Kennedy, acting leader of the Assembly of Chiefs of Manitoba, said at the service that for her and many other residential school survivors, the TRC is an opportunity to “have our truth heard and validated,” giving them a chance to speak out and be heard. He said that it would give him a place to lean on his ideas. Both the country and the world.
“And Murray Sinclair stood as our guide, our protector, and our advocate,” Kennedy said.
Rai Moran, founding director of the National Truth and Reconciliation Center, spoke of Mr Sinclair at a Truth and Reconciliation Commission event where members heard “heartbreaking stories” and “painful truths” from boarding school survivors. He said he values listening to people’s stories.
“Murray had an incredible ability to rise up from all the pain we heard and create something beautiful. It was inspiring and touched everyone in that room. It filled me with a deep sense of hope and optimism that we could actually overcome these things.”This is a grave historical error,” Moran said in an interview with CBC.
A book of condolences will be available at the memorial for people to sign. A condolence booklet is also available at the Manitoba Legislature and can be signed until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Flags will be flown at half-staff at Parliament House in Winnipeg and Parliament House in Ottawa until the end of Sunday’s commemoration.
