Shedding Light on Canada’s Dark History & Paving the Path to Truth & Reconciliation: Honouring the Honourable Murray Sinclair
Jan 6, 2025 | Ishmael Van Der Rassel, Student Storyteller
As we closed off 2024, Canada lost a Canadian hero and leader, the Honourable Murray Sinclair. Senator Sinclair was inspirational leader who led the pathway for justice, truth and reconciliation for Indigenous people in Canada.
Senator Sinclair had an extensive legal career and was called to the bar in 1980. Sinclair practised Civil, Criminal Law, Human Rights Law and Indigenous Law as well. Senator Sinclair served as legal counsel for First Nations of Manitoba, representing the Indigenous government in area of child welfare agreements, land claims, legislative proposals and reforms, funding negotiations, and child welfare policies following the release of the Kimelman Report into Child Welfare in Manitoba.
In March 1988, Sinclair was appointed as Associate Chief Judge to the Provincial Court of Manitoba, becoming the first Indigenous Judge in Manitoba. During his tenure as Associate Chief Judge, he was appointed as co-commissioner for the Manitoba’s Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Indigenous People. The report was extensive inquiry into issues plaguing the relationship between Manitoba Justice System and Indigenous People. Also, shedding light on laws and legal policy in Canada.
In November 2000, Senator Sinclair was approached about leading the “Report of the Pediatric Surgery Inquest” that shed light on the tragedy of twelve Indigenous children who died in the pediatric cardiac surgery program at Winnipeg Health Sciences in 1994. This led to significant policy changes to Manitoba’s pediatric cardiac surgery program and the study of the medical and systemic racism in the health care system.
In 2009, Senator Sinclair was appointed to be the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. This commission was formed as part of the agreement in the Indian Residentials School Agreement signed by the Canadian government and Indigenous Leadership. The TRC held hundreds of public and private hearings throughout all over Canada for survivors, their families, former staff and communities to share their stories of the horrific experiences Indigenous people faced in the Indian Residential Schools.
The Commission documented over 6,000 statements from survivors and from more then former 200 staffers on what happened. The final report concluded that the Government of Canada mandated through the Indian Residential Schools to forcibly remove Indigenous children from their families and homes to remove from the cultural influence of their parents, families and communities. The government mandated that the schools focus on stopping Indigenous children from learning their unique languages or following their cultural beliefs, practices and to adopt European Settler traditions and ways of life.
The major finding of the report that the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their families and homes was to eliminate Indigenous cultures, racial identity and that in conclusion, Canada committed cultural genocide against Indigenous people.
The report recommended 94 Calls to Action and one of those is calling on all Canadians to commit to Reconciliation and help build respectful relationships between Indigenous and non-indigenous people. “Reconciliation is not an Indigenous problem. It is a Canadians one. It is one that all Canadians are implicated”
Senator Sinclair will be missed for his leadership, dedication and commitment to helping Indigenous people reclaim their cultures, traditions and sovereignty. Together, we can continue Senator Sinclair’s legacy by taking meaningful action on Reconciliation, take time learn from Indigenous people and advocate for legislative changes and reforms.