SASKATOON—Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand said upholding the 94 Calls to Action compiled by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is one way of honouring the legacy of former Senator Murray Sinclair.
Sinclair, appointed to the Canadian Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016, died on Monday, Nov. 4. He served five years as the senator from Manitoba after leading the TRC as its chair from 2009 to 2015
Arcand said the STC—Kinistin Saulteaux Nation, Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation, Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Muskoday First Nation, One Arrow First Nation, Whitecap Dakota First Nation, Yellow Quill First Nation—join the nation in mourning the death of the lawyer-politician.
“Everyone in Canada owes Senator Sinclair their thanks for his work advancing Truth and Reconciliation. 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,” said Arcand in a statement.
“The [STC] will continue to honour Senator Sinclair’s legacy by calling on governments to fully implement all the TRC Calls to Action, and by continuing to support and care for residential school Survivors, and those suffering the effects of inter-generational trauma,” Arcand said.
Sinclair is a member of the Peguis First Nation and was Manitobs’s first Indigenous judge, serving on the bench from 1988 to 2009 before being appointed to lead the TRC Commission, whose 94 Calls to Action aimed to address the harms caused by the residential school system.
Sinclair and the TRC travelled across Canada to hear the stories of over 6,500 survivors and witnesses of First Nations on the impact of residential schools on Indigenous communities. The commission took six years to compile its 94 Calls to Action report.
He was appointed the 15th chancellor of Queen’s University after six months of retiring to politics in July 2021. His term expired on June 30, 2024, and he declined reappointment but agreed to be Chancellor Emeritus and Special Advisor to the Principal on Reconciliation.
