The University of Winnipeg community is deeply saddened by the loss of the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, who passed away on November 4, 2024.
Justice Sinclair served on the UWinnipeg Board of Regents and was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University in 2011. He studied sociology at UWinnipeg in 1975 before successfully applying to law school in 1976 and continuing his studies at the University of Manitoba.
He was born just north of Selkirk, at what used to be St. Peter’s Reserve, and he faced early hardship. His mother died when he was an infant so he was raised by caring grandparents and extended family. His Ojibway name Mazina Giizhik, means “the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky,” and Justice Sinclair has spent his life creating a new image of justice for Indigenous Peoples.
Justice Sinclair was Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge, appointed Associate Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba in 1988. In the same year, he was appointed co-commissioner of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, with Associate Chief Justice A. C. Hamilton. Their in-depth study produced almost 300 recommendations and still impacts our justice system today. He directed the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Inquest at the Health Sciences Centre and served as legal counsel for the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.
Justice Sinclair chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), where he participated in hundreds of hearings across the country, and released the TRC report in 2015. He was appointed to the Senate in 2016. He published his memoir, Who We Are, in 2024.
“I extend my deepest condolences to the Sinclair family, to the Three Fires Midewiwin Society, and to all who are mourning,” said Dr. Chantal Fiola, Associate Vice-President, Indigenous. “Indigenous community – and Canadians more generally – have profound love for Justice Murray Sinclair; his loss will take time to process. He has been a monumental figure dedicating his life to helping illuminate and model a path of action toward truth and reconciliation in Canada. With every prominent role and title bestowed upon him, he remained humble and continued to center the most vulnerable among society. Walking a Midewiwin path in life, he embodied relational accountability, and encouraged each of us to learn who we are, where we come from, why we’re here, and where we’re going. Creator has now called him home – he has left beautiful footprints on the trail for us to follow and contribute to a brighter future for all. Travel well, Uncle; gizaagi’in.”
Campus flags have been lowered in honour of Justice Sinclair and will remain at half-mast for four days, until the end of Thursday, November 7.
The Indigenous Student Services Centre welcomes anyone who would like to smudge or seek support. The ISSC has also prepared a mental health resources sheet for Indigenous students. More mental health support information can be found on the Mental Health and Wellness page.
