In the wake of Senator Murray Sinclair’s sad death, we reflect on how his pioneering work has changed the course of Indigenous rights and reconciliation efforts in Canada.
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our Counsellor Senator Murray Sinclair, whose work as an Anishinaabe judge, senator, lawyer, and chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission has reshaped Canada’s legal system.
A life dedicated to championing Indigenous rights
Senator Murray Sinclair, whose spirit name was Mizhana Gheezhik, meaning “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky”, dedicated his life to fighting for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada and reversing the inequalities Indigenous communities face due to colonialism.
He was Manitoba’s first Aboriginal judge, appointed Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 1988 where he served for 28 years.
In the same year, he was appointed co-commissioner of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba, where he examined whether the justice system was failing Indigenous people after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting of J.J. Harper.
The Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission
One of Senator Murray Sinclair's most notable achievements was chairing the landmark Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Residential schools were opened in 1831, and by 1920 it was made compulsory for Indigenous children between the ages of 7 and 15 to attend. These children were taken from their families and taught Euro-Canadian culture in an attempt to completely destroy their Indigenous culture. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded that residential schools were “a systematic, government-sponsored attempt to destroy Aboriginal cultures and languages and to assimilate Aboriginal peoples so that they no longer existed as distinct peoples.”
Having been raised by his grandparents, both of whom were forced to attend residential schools, Senator Sinclair saw first-hand how deeply rooted the trauma of residential school survivors was, and still is to this day.
Confronting the realities of the Indigenous residential school system
Over six years, Senator Sinclair and the commission compiled testimonies from survivors of the residential school system who highlighted physical and sexual abuse, overcrowding, and severe neglect for the children in attendance. This work was done to inform all Canadians about what happened in the Residential Schools and to serve as a long-lasting reminder of the atrocities that Indigenous peoples had suffered.
“Education is the key to reconciliation,” Senator Murray Sinclair said. “Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.”
Murray Sinclair at One Young World
We were honoured to be joined by Murray Sinclair at the One Young World Summit Ottawa, 2016 where he shared his reflections on the history of Aboriginal rights in Canada and his lessons on renewing and restoring pride in Aboriginal cultures across the globe.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Senator Murray Sinclair shared his knowledge with our Community again in the form of a lecture on how to address historic injustice. During this lecture, he shared his wisdom from a lifetime of fighting for the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada and chairing the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Responses to Senator Murray Sinclair's death
We are saddened by the news of Senator Sinclair's death and are grateful for the time that he took to share his wisdom with us and our Community. His legacy will live on through his extraordinary work and the young leaders that he has inspired.
"We are devastated to hear of the loss of one of the world’s most impactful leaders, Honourable Murray Sinclair. We were honoured to be joined by Senator Sinclair at the One Young World Summit in Ottawa, where he shared with our Community the wisdom he gained from a lifetime of fighting colonialism. His guidance was instrumental in beginning our journey to understand and honour the truth of Indigenous experiences. Senator Sinclair was a beloved Counsellor who helped One Young World embark on our own path towards reconciliation. His legacy will continue to inspire us all, and we will strive to honour it. His trailblazing work with residential school survivors reshaped Canada’s legal systems and made sure Canada and the world heard their stories, ensuring that nobody would forget them,” comments Ella Robertson McKay, Managing Director at One Young World.
Tributes to Senator Sinclair and his pioneering work include Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau who said, “He was kind, patient and understanding to people like me, who had a lot to learn.” Wab Kinew, the premier of Manitoba wrote, “It will be a long time before our nation produces another person the calibre of Murray Sinclair. He showed us there is no reconciliation without truth.”