Murray Sinclair

Murray Sinclair
Occupation	chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Murray Sinclair was the former chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

In Anishinabek News

• Home community: Ojibwe
• June 2015: He expressed hope for a future where Canada reconciles its current image of itself with its history of residential schools. As of June 2015, authors expressed hope that he would release the full Truth and Reconciliation Commission report before the October federal election.
• July 2015: He authored the preliminary report and recommendations regarding the history of Canadian relations with Indigenous peoples.
• September 2015: He submitted a preliminary report of the findings and recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in June 2015.
• November 2015: He argued that education is the primary method for achieving reconciliation between First Nations and other people in Canada. He estimated that erasing the effects of seven generations of oppression would take three to five generations. As of November 2015, he expressed support for provincial education departments that were revising school curricula to include indigenous history.
• December 2015: He commented on the high number of Indigenous children in care during the release of the final Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report.
• March 2016: He was appointed to the Senate of Canada in March 2016. He served as the chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada starting in June 2009. His traditional name is Mizanay Gheezhik.
• December 2017: He estimated that 6,000 children died while attending Residential Schools.
• December 2018: He authored an interim report regarding the investigation into the Thunder Bay Police Service Board.
• December 2018: He conducted an investigation and prepared a highly critical report on the Thunder Bay Police Service Board. His report recommended the dismantling of the existing police board to address failures in oversight. The investigation was prompted by concerns from First Nations leaders regarding police responses to Indigenous deaths in Thunder Bay.
• January 2019: He led the Ontario Civilian Police Commission investigation into the Thunder Bay Police Services Board. His final report, released in December 2018, contained 33 recommendations to address systemic racism in Thunder Bay policing.
• February 2019: His message regarding the importance of Indigenous people doing things for themselves was highlighted by Tanya Talaga.
• June 2020: He shared his insights on the definition of wisdom during a webinar hosted by Red Sky Performance in May 2020. He argued that wisdom keepers have a responsibility to respond to others with truth, kindness, and respect. His reflections on providing guidance and reassurance were featured on the Red Sky Performance Facebook page.
• June 2020: He is one of the Indigenous writers featured in the audio version of the decolonization manual released in 2020.
• October 2020: He is scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker for the virtual Atlohsa Peace Awards ceremony in December 2020. Organizers described him as an accomplished advocate for community rights.
• November 2020: He stated that reconciliation is unlikely to happen in his lifetime because it requires a new generation to learn the truth of Canadian history.
• November 2020: He has criticized the federal government for its handling of records related to residential schools' survivors' accounts. In June 2020, he noted that the loss of records prevents the full story of the school experiences from being told.
• December 2020: He was scheduled to deliver the keynote address during the 2020 Atlohsa Peace Awards.
• December 2020: Murray Sinclair delivered the keynote address during the 2020 Atlohsa Peace Awards ceremony.
• May 2021: He is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the 2021 Indigenous Partnership Success Showcase. He is a retired Canadian Senator and the next Chancellor of Queen's University.
• July 2022: He stated that while education was used to create the current colonial issues, it must also be the tool to resolve them.
• September 2022: He challenged Canadians to maintain the conversation regarding reconciliation after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada concluded its work. Orange Shirt Day was developed as a response to his call for ongoing dialogue.
• September 2022: He was recommended by Nicole Richmond as a resource for those seeking to learn about history through his videos on YouTube.
• January 2023: He accepted the task of overseeing mediation between the Robinson Huron leadership and the federal and provincial governments in January 2023.
• August 2023: He argued that society cannot move forward without reflecting on the past and acknowledging the full truth of Indigenous experiences. He served as the leader of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
• May 2024: He argued that reconciliation must be done in an equal way that elevates Indigenous worldviews to the status of European ones. His discussions regarding the 94 Calls to Action inspired Mary-Lou Meiers to begin the art project.
• October 2024: The memoir Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and a Nation recounts the life and public service of this former senator. He served as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His book uses an oral history format to share his reflections on human rights and the future of reconciliation in Canada.
• July 2025: He served as a commissioner alongside Wilton Littlechild and Marie Wilson to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
• October 2025: He delivered the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada at Chippewas of Rama First Nation in 2015. He presented four universal human questions intended to help guide Indigenous people and settlers toward reconciliation. His work on the 94 calls to action provided the inspiration for the Call to Action #83 Art Project. The article refers to this person as deceased (no date of death is given).
• November 2025: He stated that the issues in the relationship between Canada and First Peoples took 150 years to create and will not be fixed quickly. The article refers to this person as deceased (no date of death is given).
• September 2026: He is the father of Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair. He chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The article refers to this person as deceased (no date of death is given).