Murray Sinclair: A Man Whose Life Touched Millions

Last Monday, Canada lost a great leader and an even greater man: Murray Sinclair C.C., an Anishinaabe whose legacy touched millions across our country. A champion of Indigenous rights, Sinclair was a former senator and judge who led Canada's landmark Truth and Reconciliation Commission into the country's residential schools. Through hearings across Canada, he gathered firsthand testimony from survivors of the schools, and developed the 94 Calls to Action that are helping to guide our country towards meaningful change in relations with our Indigenous peoples.

Throughout his trailblazing life, Murray Sinclair bravely broke ground, becoming Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge in 1988, and only the second Indigenous judge in the country. His spirit name is Mazina Giizhik-iban (The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky), with the iban recognizing he is now an ancestor.

Across the nation, many tributes have been made in his memory. A national memorial took place in Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre arena to honour his legacy, with several Indigenous leaders and politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attending. A sacred fire was lit in his honour outside the Manitoba legislature, recognizing that his efforts continue to touch the lives of Canadians long after he is gone.

Earlier this year, UTS was honoured to have Murray’s son, Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, who like his father comes from the St. Peter's (Little Peguis) Indian Settlement in Manitoba, speak to our Assembly on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. At the memorial for his father, Niigaan recalled a moment when he asked his father why he was so compelled to keep fighting, even in the face of brutal racism and indifference. He says his father answered simply: “I was called.”

The life of Murray Sinclair serves as an inspiration for all Canadians, and compels us to ask what we each can do to make a difference. Thanks to his profound efforts on behalf of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, he has built a legacy for the generations. We can honour his memory by following the path he has laid out for our country, invoking the spirit of Reconciliation in our daily lives and upholding the Commission’s Calls to Action with our own actions.

To quote Murray Sinclair: “This is not a time for the timid. It is a time for the daring…Let us dare to live greatly together.”