Murray Sinclair, former senator who led Truth and Reconciliation Commission, dead at 73
Renowned lawyer was Manitoba's first Indigenous judge
Murray Sinclair, an Anishinaabe senator and respected Manitoba lawyer known for leading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, passed away at the age of 73.
Sinclair died early Monday at a Winnipeg hospital, "peacefully and surrounded by love," according to his family’s statement.
"Mazina Giizhik (the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky) dedicated his life to serving others, driving change, revealing truth, and leading with fairness throughout his career," the statement noted. "Our dad's work impacted people across Canada and worldwide. From residential school survivors to law students to those in his courtroom, he was respected as an exceptional listener who treated everyone with dignity."
Sinclair, born on January 24, 1951, near Selkirk on the former St. Peter’s reserve, was a member of the Peguis First Nation. Raised by his Cree grandfather Jim and Ojibway grandmother Catherine after his mother’s passing, he grew up speaking Cree but was advised by his grandmother to stop speaking the language at school.
“I grew up in a family, and in a time, when we were taught to deny our identity as Aboriginal people,” Sinclair shared with the Gladue Community Justice Forum in 2021. "We were raised to believe that overcoming our Indianness was our obligation."
A standout student, Sinclair graduated from Selkirk Collegiate as valedictorian and athlete of the year in 1968. After studying at the University of Manitoba, he paused to care for his ailing grandmother. He began working with the Selkirk Friendship Centre, eventually becoming a regional vice-president of the Manitoba Métis Federation in 1971. His experience there drove his commitment to justice, as he saw Indigenous people frequently treated unfairly by the legal system.
“I knew things were not the way they should be,” he reflected.
Returning to his studies in 1976, Sinclair graduated from the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law in 1979 and was called to the bar in 1980. Although he initially aimed to enter politics, he encountered prejudice within the legal system, including an instance where a judge mistook him for a defendant. These experiences nearly led him to abandon his career, but a conversation with a community elder encouraged him to reconnect with his Indigenous identity and persist.
By age 37, Sinclair had become Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and only Canada’s second, later appointed to the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba in 2001. In a 2019 interview with the Manitoba Law Review, he observed that judges sometimes "went overboard" and felt sentencing needed improvement. His work on the 1988 Aboriginal Justice Inquiry helped pave the way for the Gladue principles in 1996, which mandate that courts consider Indigenous offenders' backgrounds when sentencing.
Sinclair presided over Manitoba’s Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Inquest before becoming chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2009. The Commission’s 2015 report, a six-volume account of Canada’s residential school legacy, concluded that the country had committed "cultural genocide."
"Canada's Aboriginal policy aimed to eliminate Aboriginal governments, ignore rights, and assimilate Aboriginal peoples," the report stated. "Residential schools were central to this policy."
Appointed to the Senate on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's recommendation in 2016, Sinclair also led a 2017 inquiry into systemic racism within the Thunder Bay Police Services Board. After retiring from the Senate in 2021, he served as chancellor of Queen’s University until June 2024.
Sinclair received numerous accolades, including the Meritorious Service Cross, the Order of Manitoba, and Companion of the Order of Canada. He is survived by his wife, Katherine Morrisseau-Sinclair, five children, and three grandchildren.
The family has requested donations to The Murray Sinclair Memorial Fund at The Winnipeg Foundation in lieu of flowers. A sacred fire has been lit outside the Manitoba Legislative Building for those wishing to pay their respects, with the family asking others not to light additional fires in honor of his journey.
