Relatives, friends and leaders said Sinclair, who died this week aged 73, said his legacy would ‘never be forgotten’.
Canada is hosting a national memorial to Murray Sinclair, the pioneering Indigenous judge and senator who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into the abuses committed against Indigenous children in residential schools.
The unveiling, held Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg, central Canada, came days after Sinclair died Nov. 4 at the age of 73.
His son, Niigaan Sinclair, said, “Few people have built this country like my father, and few can say they changed the course of this country like my father did to set us on a better path.” Commemorative photo shoot begins.
“All of us: First Nations, Canadians, newcomers, whether we are new here or have been here since time immemorial, all of us have been touched by him in some way from the beginning.”
Sinclair, an Anishinaabe lawyer, senator and member of the Peguis First Nation, was Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and only the second in Canada.
As top member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), Sinclair organized hundreds of hearings across Canada to hear directly from survivors of Canada’s residential school system.
Statement from the Caring Society on the passing of the Honorable Murray Sinclair. pic.twitter.com/inhyamNKt
— Indigenous Child and Family Caring Society (@CaringSociety) November 4, 2024
From the late 1800s to 1996, Canada forcibly removed approximately 150,000 Indigenous children from their families and forced them into institutions. They were forced to cut their hair, banned from speaking their native language, and many suffered physical and sexual abuse.
“The residential school system established for Canada’s First Nations in the 19th century is one of the darkest and most problematic parts of our country’s history,” Sinclair wrote in the TRC’s final report.
“It is clear that residential schools were a key element of the Canadian government’s policy of cultural genocide.”
Mary Simon, Canada’s first Indigenous governor, described Sinclair at Sunday’s memorial service as “a voice of truth, justice and healing.”
She said he was “brave enough to expose injustice, yet generous enough to make everyone around him feel welcome and important.”
Other Indigenous community leaders and advocates across Canada also spent the past week remembering Sinclair for her unwavering commitment to confronting the systemic racism faced by Indigenous people.
“One of the biggest insights he shared was that reconciliation is not the survivors’ job. He said true reconciliation must include institutional change.” Chief Alvin Fiddler of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) in northern Ontario said in a statement after Sinclair’s death.
“He taught us that reconciliation is what we have to achieve,” Fiddler said.
“The work ahead of us is difficult, but we share his belief that we owe it to each other to build a nation based on a shared future of healing and trust. Murray encouraged us to walk the path of reconciliation. “Accepting this responsibility is a fitting way to honor his legacy.”
Pam Palmater, chair of Indigenous governance at Toronto Metropolitan University, said Sinclair is someone who will “never stop educating Canadians… and make sure we never forget.”
In an interview with CBC News on Sunday, Palmater noted that Sinclair “didn’t just do the TRC.” He has been involved in many other initiatives, including the Manitoba Child Death Inquiry and the Thunder Bay Police Station Inquiry in Ontario.
“That person will never be forgotten. He is one of those people whose legacy lives on,” Palmater said. “His influence will be felt for decades to come.”
