“I was called; » Life and legacy of Murray Sinclair honored in moving memorial
Applause broke out repeatedly at the Canada Life Center in Winnipeg on Sunday when the son of Murray Sinclair, a former judge, senator and chair of the Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission, spoke about his father.
Niigaan Sinclair said his father “was a first” in every room he entered.
“It was impossible to walk through a mall without 17 people, two of whom he had already sentenced to prison, coming up to him and telling him how much they appreciated him,” Niigaan Sinclair said.
Sinclair’s death Monday, at the age of 73, drew tributes from across the country and a sacred fire was lit outside the Manitoba legislature. Indigenous leaders and politicians, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, attended the service honoring Sinclair’s legacy at the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets stadium on Sunday.
“He became for me a wise teacher, a trusted confidant, an insightful elder. And above all, a friend who challenged me to always do better,” Trudeau said.
Sinclair, he said, “changed this country for the better.”
As chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Sinclair heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors and the commission’s final report contained 94 calls to action.
Receive national news daily
Get the day’s top news, politics, business and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day.
He was the first Aboriginal judge in Manitoba and the second in Canada, and he co-chaired the Manitoba Aboriginal Justice Inquiry to examine whether the justice system was failing Aboriginal people.
Sunday’s memorial was the first national memorial ceremony for an Indigenous person.
Governor-General. Mary Simon said she became emotional while telling her own story to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Sinclair comforted her with warmth and compassion.
“People around him felt a sense of confidence and authenticity, a feeling that they could be who they are without judgment,” she said.
Sinclair’s obituary describes his journey as an Indigenous man born in the early 1950s. His traditional Anishinaabe name is Mazina Giizhik, or He Who Speaks of Images in the Sky.
“Growing up, Mazina Giizhik experienced racism but never lost her sense of hope, duty and responsibility,” we read.
Niigaan Sinclair said one of his father’s favorite stories was about the racism he experienced during his first week as Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge. He was at a lunch with a group of judges when one of them spoke to him.
“He turned to my dad and said, ‘You know, Murray, the only reason you got nominated is because we all feel bad. We all feel bad about Indigenous people,” said Niigaan Sinclair.
“My father turned to him and said, ‘You’re only here because you’re a white man.’ »
Niigaan Sinclair said he once asked his father if it was a sense of duty that drove him to continue fighting, to endure nightmares listening to residential school survivors, to miss family events to fight against institutions, laws and people in power who treated others with disdain.
“I said, ‘Is it because you were such a hard-working guy?’ Because he was Athlete of the Year in 1968, he reminded me of every day of my life,” Niigaan Sinclair said, drawing hearty laughter from the crowd.
“Was it because of a responsibility, something you learned in the legal profession, or was it because of a larger situation?” he continued.
“You know, what did he say to me? He said simply: “I have been called. »
© 2024 The Canadian Press
