Sask. Indigenous leaders mourn 'loss of a great man' and urge everyone to carry on his legacy
Sinclair's work will have a profound impact for years to come, says former senator Lillian Dyck
Former Saskatchewan senator Lillian Dyck remembers Murray Sinclair as a larger-than-life figure.
"He was such a giant of a man with a very gentle but incredibly strong spirit. And to be in his presence was just, you know, you just felt so good to be around him," Dyck said Monday.
Sinclair, the Anishinaabe senator and renowned Manitoba lawyer who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), died Monday morning at the age of 73.
Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba and became a senator in 2016.
"I know they'll be grieving all across the country at the loss of a great man and a great friend and a man who many Canadians loved because of the work he did and his personality and his character," Dyck said.
Dyck recounted a conversation that showed how much Sinclair was loved.
"One of the residential school survivors here in Saskatoon was talking about Murray one day and I thought he was going to say that Murray was phoning to check up on him," Dyck said.
"But he said no. The survivors were phoning to check up on Murray because they knew how heavily that the evidence that he heard, that he witnessed and took deep into his soul, they knew how much that affected him.
"So they would call him to make sure he was OK. That's how much love he had."
Dyck said Sinclair's work with the TRC will have a profound effect on all Canadians for years to come. She said it is very important that curriculums based on the TRC's work are developed in universities and schools.
"So that Canadians, Indigenous Canadians included, could have the history of our country, the real history, in our curriculum across the country," she said.
"Over time, when you think about it, with the change in elementary and middle school and high school, that's going to have a profound impact."
After retiring from the Senate in 2021, Sinclair was appointed chancellor of Queen's University.
Among his many other honours were the Order of Manitoba and being named a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Cadmus Delorme, the former chief of Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, said to understand Sinclair's legacy you must understand the role he played in the creation of the truth and reconciliation commission's recommendations in Canada.
Delorme spoke about Sinclair going through the painstaking process of interviewing residential school survivors across Canada.
"For Murray and his team to go across the country and hear these interviews that were very heavy on their hearts," he said. "But Murray took it with stride and took it as his duty."
Delorme said the TRC's 94 calls to action are a direct result of Sinclair's work.
"Every Canadian and Indigenous person in Canada benefits because of the hard work that him and his team did," He said.
"Now today, it's just up to us to make sure we implement it, so that Murray's kids and grandkids can succeed in this world for the hard work that he did."
The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) released a statement on Sinclair's death, credited to Chief Mark Arcand.
"Everyone in Canada owes Senator Sinclair their thanks for his work advancing Truth and Reconciliation," the statement said. "His lifetime of service helped put us on a path to better outcomes for our people who still are suffering from the effects of residential schools."
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