Murray Sinclair, a former senator, judge and the chief commissioner of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is being remembered by Manitoba leaders for his decades as a champion of Indigenous rights.
“It will be a long time before our nation produces another person the calibre of Murray Sinclair,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said during Monday’s question period at the legislature.
“Once a forest loses one of its giant cedars, it’s important for the rest of the trees to ensure that the next generation can grow strong.”
Sinclair died at a Winnipeg hospital early Monday morning, his family said in a statement. He was 73.
Sinclair, a member of Peguis First Nation, was born in 1951, just north of Selkirk on what used to be the St. Peter’s reserve. His spirit name was Mazina Giizhik, which translates to “the one who speaks of pictures in the sky” in Anishinaabemowin.
Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge, Sinclair led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and served as a senator.
Kinew recalled how Sinclair presided over his government’s swearing-in ceremony just over a year ago, and passed on a message that Kinew called both remarkable yet simple.
“He said, ‘You have to learn to love the people, even when they do not love you.
“He asked us to love one another, no matter what. This is the legacy that Murray Sinclair is leaving to us as Canadians.”
Kinew got emotional at the legislature on Monday: Sinclair has “been there my entire life,” the premier said.
A sacred fire has been lit outside the Manitoba legislative building for those wanting to pay respects to Sinclair in person.
‘His work has been groundbreaking’
It’s difficult to “imagine a Canada without Justice Murray Sinclair,” said Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Garrison Settee.
“It’s hard to imagine that we will continue to live without him, but he’s left a lot of things for us to hold onto, and I think that he has opened the door for many of us to continue to move forward to find truth and reconciliation,” he said.
Settee says he will remember Sinclair as “a quiet but powerful leader.”
He added that he was in university when Sinclair was co-commissioner of Manitoba’s 1988 Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, which highlighted the need to take Indigenous offenders’ history into account when sentencing.
“I remember being inspired, being proud that one of our people was in a very high-profile position,” Settee said. “I think that he’ll go down in history as one of the greatest leaders that we’ve had in the Indigenous community.”
As the 10-year anniversary of the release of the TRC’s final report nears, Assembly of First Nations Grand Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said she’s thankful for Sinclair’s work to “bring light to many of the issues that residential schools had caused, and also a path forward.”
She called Sinclair a “trailblazer” who changed the trajectory for First Nations.
“He was born in a time when First Nations people didn’t have the right to vote, and his work has been groundbreaking for First Nations and Canadians alike,” she said.
Sinclair ‘will never be forgotten’
Sinclair was not afraid to speak up, but did so from the heart, and he was always there to provide guidance, said Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy.
Sinclair’s death comes nearly two months after the passing of Cathy Merrick, the AMC’s late grand chief.
“We’re going to have to really honour their legacy for everything that they’ve done for us — Manitoba and Canada,” Kennedy said.
David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation, says he knew Sinclair as a great leader and a good friend.
Sinclair championed for the rights of Indigenous people across the country, cementing himself as an influential leader for all Canadians, he said.
“He will be sadly missed but his words, actions, and presence will never be forgotten,” Chartrand said in a statement.
Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham said Sinclair’s wisdom will continue to guide future generations through the path of reconciliation.
“He once said he hoped future generations would look at his work and know he cared,” Gillingham said in a statement. “There is no doubt that they will, and Winnipeg will always remember Murray Sinclair.”
