Murray Sinclair- One Of The Most Towering Indigenous Voices in Canada Dies At Age 73

“We have to ensure that Indigenous people are given an opportunity to regain their self-respect …That means that we now have to ensure that we give back to them those things that were taken away: their languages, their cultures, their means of developing their own sense of identity.”      – Indigenous Leader Murray Sinclair, speaking in 2021 as he was retiring from Canada’s Senate on the need for everyone across the country to come to terms with the injustices and systemic racism experienced for so long by his people

A Few Words of Tribute from Niagara At Large reporter/publisher Doug Draper followed by a Statement from Canada’s Prime Minister

Posted November 4th, 2024 on Niagara At Large

From Doug Draper – I am sure that Murray Sinclair, who died this November 4th, 2024 at age 73, will go down in history as one of Canada’s towering figures – as our Nelson Mandela, our Martin Luther King Jr, our Gandhi – if he hasn’t already.

As a First Nations Lawyer and Judge, and as a Canadian Senator and from 2009 to 2015, Chair of the country’s Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I am sure I am not alone in my view that I learned more from him about the suffering and about what he called “cultural genocide” committed against Indigenous people by European settlers in Canada than I did from almost anyplace else.

Outside a few books I read like ‘Stolen Continents’ and ‘Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee’ (that one more focused on injustices committed on native people in the United States), I learned practically nothing growing up in the 1960s in our public schools about indigenous children being ripped away from their parents and placed in those torture camps that passed as ‘residential schools” or about all of the other injustices.

It’s as if the powers-that-be in Canada deliberately worked to hide this terrible stain on our history, as if to pretend that nothing like that could ever happen in this country.

It was not until Murray Sinclair and other brave Indigenous leaders laid it all out before our eyes that we had to begin coming to terms with the horrible acts perpetrated on their people and work to do whatever can be done at this point to make things right.

One of the things that impressed me so much about Murray Sinclair is that he had every justification in the world to express anger or rage as he unveiled this awful history. Instead, he always showed such heart and class and such wisdom.

Perhaps one the best thing we can do to honour the legacy of Murray Sinclair is to work with his people to make life better for us all.

• R.I.P Murray Sinclair –  Doug Draper, Niagara At Large

Now here is the Statement issued this November 4th by Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau –

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair:

“It is with great sadness that I learned today about the passing of the  Honourable Murray Sinclair.

“An Anishinaabe and member of the Peguis First Nation, Mr. Sinclair dedicated  his life to repairing and reshaping Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples. His Ojibway name, Mizanay Gheezhik, means ‘The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky’, and this beautifully reflected his vision for a brighter, stronger future for Indigenous Peoples in Canada.

“A lawyer by profession, Mr. Sinclair became the first Indigenous judge  appointed in Manitoba and just the second in Canada. Among his many accomplishments, he will be remembered for his service as the Chief Commissioner of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission(TRC), where he led efforts to address the lasting and painful impact of the residential school system on Indigenous communities.

“After years of investigative efforts under Mr. Sinclair’s leadership, the TRC’s report, including its 94 Calls to Action, gave a voice to Survivors which will always be reflected in its pages and part of our country’s history. To this day, the report guides our collective journey toward a fairer, more equitable future with Indigenous Peoples. It would not have been possible without Mr. Sinclair’s critical work and guidance.

“Over his life, Mr. Sinclair received honorary doctorates from 14 universities as well as numerous awards, including the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross. In recognition of his public service, he was also appointed to the Senate.

“Mr. Sinclair leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. With his passing, Canada  has lost a giant – a brilliant legal mind, a champion of Indigenous rights, and a trusted leader on our journey of reconciliation. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my deepest condolences to his children Dené, Niigaan, Gazheek, Kizhay and Miskodagwaaginikwe, his friends, and his colleagues, as well as to Indigenous Peoples across Canada. He will be missed.”

Calvin Murray Sinclair CC OM MSC (Ojibway name Mizanay (Mizhana) Gheezhik; January 24, 1951 – November 4, 2024) was a Canadian politician who was a member of the Senate, and a First Nations lawyer who served as chairman of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2009 to 2015.

He previously served as a judge in Manitoba from 1988 to 2009, being the first Indigenous judge appointed in the province. Sinclair was appointed to the Senate of Canada on April 2, 2016. In November 2020, he announced his retirement from the Senate effective January 31, 2021.[

To hear Murray Sinclair speak to Canadians in 2021 on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, click on the screen below –

 

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