‘Courage, compassion, unwavering dedication’: TRC chair Murray Sinclair dies at 73

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WINNIPEG — Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.

A former judge and senator, one of Sinclair’s biggest roles was chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools.

The father of five died peacefully Monday morning in a Winnipeg hospital, said a statement from his family.

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He was 73.

“Mazina Giizhik (the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky) committed his life in service to the people: creating change, revealing truth, and leading with fairness throughout his career,” the statement from his family read, noting his traditional Anishinaabe name.

“The impact of our dad’s work reached far across the country and the world. From residential school survivors to law students to those who sat across from him in a courtroom, he was always known as an exceptional listener who treated everyone with dignity and respect.”

A sacred fire to help guide his spirit home has been lit outside the Manitoba legislature, said the family.

The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, on its Facebook page, called Sinclair “a powerful figure in Canadian law and Indigenous rights advocacy” who “leaves behind a legacy marked by courage, compassion, and unwavering dedication to truth and reconciliation.”

Sinclair “was instrumental in bringing to light the painful history of Canada’s residential schools and the impact they had on generations of Indigenous people,” the FSIN said.

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“His deep wisdom, steadfast leadership, and gentle demeanour won the respect of many, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, across Canada and beyond. Through his tireless efforts, he taught the world about resilience, justice, and the importance of healing through open-hearted dialogue.”

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand said all of Canada “owes Sen. Sinclair their thanks,” adding that Sinclair’s “lifetime of service helped put us on a path to better outcomes for our people who still are suffering from the effects of residential schools.”

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said on X that she had the “honour” of meeting Sinclair when she was a school board trustee. She said Sinclair’s “leadership and advocacy profoundly shaped the collective Canadian understanding of truth and reconciliation.”

Saskatoon Public Schools paid its respects to Sinclair for “his contributions to healing our country and bringing its people together,” noting that his “accomplishments were many.”

Born in 1951, Sinclair was raised on the former St. Peter’s Indian Reserve north of Winnipeg. He was a member of Peguis First Nation.

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He was raised by his grandparents and graduated from a high school in Selkirk, Man., where he excelled in athletics.

Some of his earliest childhood memories were published earlier this year in his memoir, “Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and a Nation.”

In it, Sinclair described discrimination he experienced being Anishinaabe in a non-Indigenous school.

“While I and others succeeded in that system, it was not without cost to our own humanity and our sense of self-respect. These are the legacies all of us find ourselves in today.”

Sinclair later worked as an assistant to legislature member Howard Pawley, before Pawley became premier.

In 1979, Sinclair graduated law school at the University of Manitoba.

In 11 years, he became the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba — the second in Canada — when he was appointed an associate chief judge of the provincial court. In 2001, he rose to what was then called the Court of Queen’s Bench.

In all, he spent 28 years as a judge.

He served as co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba to examine whether the justice system was failing Indigenous people after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting death of J.J. Harper.

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He also directed the complex Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Inquest into the deaths of 12 children at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre.

In leading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he participated in hundreds of hearings across Canada and heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors.

The commissioners released their widely influential final report in 2015, which described what took place at the institutions as 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 the other commissioners received the Meritorious Service Cross for their work.

It was one of many recognitions Sinclair received over his career.

He was given a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, in the field of justice in 1994. In 2017, he received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

He was also awarded the Manitoba Bar Association’s Equality Award in 2001 and the Canadian Bar Association’s president’s medal in 2018.

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In 2016, Sinclair was appointed to the Senate. He retired from that role in 2021.

The following year, he received the Order of Canada for dedicating his life to championing Indigenous Peoples’ rights and freedoms.

In accepting that honour, Sinclair said he wanted to show the country that working on Indigenous issues requires a national effort.

“When I speak to young people, I always tell them that we all have a responsibility to do the best that we can and to be the best that we can be,” he said.

Sinclair limited his public engagements in recent years due to declining health.

In his memoir, he described living with congestive heart failure. Nerve damage led to him relying on a wheelchair.

His family said in a previous statement that he had been in hospital for the last few months.

Sinclair spoke at the 2023 swearing-in ceremony of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the first First Nations person to lead a province. Sinclair called the milestone “Manitoba’s true act of reconciliation” that would usher in a “new phase.”

“That phase ultimately is going to lead to a relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in which we are able to show true respect to all of those who are here and all of those who come here.”

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Sinclair’s memoir was released in September. In it, he continued to challenge Canadians to take action.

“We know that making things better will not happen overnight. It will take generations. That’s how the damage was created and that’s how the damage will be fixed,” Sinclair wrote.

“But if we agree on the objective of reconciliation, and agree to work together, the work we do today will immeasurably strengthen the social fabric of Canada tomorrow.”

— With Saskatoon StarPhoenix files

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