Winnipeg –
Born at a time when Indigenous peoples did not yet have the right to vote, Murray Sinclair grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential figures dedicated to Indigenous justice and advocacy.
A former judge and senator, one of Sinclair’s biggest roles was as chairman of the boarding school’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The father of five died peacefully Monday morning at a Winnipeg hospital, his family said in a statement.
He was 73 years old.
“Masina Gizik (Sky Painter) dedicated her life to the service of her people. She spent her career making a difference, revealing the truth, and leading justly,” the statement said, adding that in his traditional mentioned Anishinaabe names.
“The impact of our father’s work spread throughout the country and around the world. From boarding school survivors to law students to those who sat across from him in court, he always made sure to He was known as an exceptional listener who treated people with dignity and respect.
His family says a sacred fire was lit outside the Manitoba Legislature to guide his spirit home.
Born in 1951, Sinclair grew up on the former St. Peter’s Indian Reserve north of Winnipeg. He was a member of the Peguis First Nation.
He was raised by his grandparents and graduated from high school in Selkirk, Man., where he excelled in track and field.
Some of his childhood memories were published earlier this year in his memoir, Who We Are: Four questions for a Life and a Nation.
In it, Ms. Sinclair described the discrimination she experienced as an Anishinaabe in non-Indigenous schools.
“I and others thrived in that system, but not without a cost to our own humanity and self-worth. These are legacies that we all find ourselves in today.”
Sinclair then worked as an assistant to MP Howard Polley before Polley became Prime Minister.
In 1979, Sinclair graduated from the University of Manitoba School of Law.
Eleven years later, he became the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba and the second in Canada to be appointed as an assistant chief justice of a provincial court. In 2001, he was elevated to what was then known as the Queen’s Bench.
He spent a total of 28 years as a judge.
He co-chaired the Manitoba Indigenous Justice Commission, which investigated whether the justice system neglected Indigenous peoples after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting of J.J. Harper.
He also led a complex pediatric cardiac surgery investigation into the deaths of 12 children at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre.
As head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he participated in hundreds of public hearings across Canada and heard testimony from thousands of boarding school survivors.
The commissioners released their widely influential final report in 2015, which described what happened at the facility as a cultural genocide and included 94 calls to action.
“Education is the key to reconciliation,” Sinclair said. “Education got us into this mess, and education will get us out of it.”
Two years later, he and other committee members received the Distinguished Service Cross for their work.
This was one of the many recognitions Sinclair received throughout his career.
He received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award (now the Inspire Award) in the field of justice in 1994. In 2017, he received the organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
She also received the Manitoba Bar Association’s Equality Award in 2001 and the Canadian Bar Association’s President’s Medal in 2018.
Mr. Sinclair was appointed to the Senate in 2016. He retired from that position in 2021.
The following year, he was made a member of the Order of Canada in recognition of his life’s work defending the rights and freedoms of Indigenous peoples.
In accepting the honor, Mr Sinclair said he wanted to show the country that addressing Indigenous issues requires a national effort.
“When I talk to young people, I always tell them that we all have a responsibility to do the best we can and do the best we can,” he said.
Mr. Sinclair had limited his public appearances in recent years due to declining health.
In his memoir, Sinclair described living with congestive heart failure. Nerve damage left him dependent on a wheelchair.
His family said in an earlier statement that he had been hospitalized for the past few months.
Sinclair was speaking at the 2023 swearing-in ceremony of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the first Indigenous person to lead the province. Mr. Sinclair called the milestone a “true act of reconciliation for Manitoba” and a “new phase.”
“That step will ultimately lead to a relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples that can show real respect for all the people who are here and all the people who come here.”
Mr. Sinclair’s memoir was published in September. In it, he continued to appeal to Canadians to take action.
“We know that improving the situation cannot be achieved overnight. It will take generations. That’s how the damage is done, and that’s how the damage is repaired. ,” Sinclair wrote.
“But if we agree to the purpose of reconciliation and agree to work together, the work we are doing today will immeasurably strengthen the social fabric of Canada tomorrow. ”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
