Murray Sinclair, who was born when Indigenous people did not yet have the right to vote, grew up to become one of the most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.

A former judge and senator, one of Sinclair香蕉视频直播檚 biggest roles was chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools.

He died Monday morning in a Winnipeg hospital, said his son Niigaan Sinclair. He was 73.

Sinclair was a father of five and a grandfather.

His traditional Anishinaabe name was Mizhana Gheezhik or The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky.

Born in 1951, Sinclair was raised on the former St. Peter香蕉视频直播檚 Indian Reserve north of Winnipeg. He was a member of Peguis First Nation.

He was raised by his grandparents and graduated from a high school in Selkirk, Man., where he excelled in athletics.

Some of his earliest childhood memories were published earlier this year in his memoir, 香蕉视频直播淲ho We Are: Four Questions for a Life and a Nation.香蕉视频直播�

In it, Sinclair described discrimination he experienced being Anishinaabe in a non-Indigenous school.

香蕉视频直播淲hile I and others succeeded in that system, it was not without cost to our own humanity and our sense of self-respect. These are the legacies all of us find ourselves in today.香蕉视频直播�

Sinclair later worked as an assistant to legislature member Howard Pawley, before Pawley became premier.

In 1979, Sinclair graduated law school at the University of Manitoba.

In 11 years, he became the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba 香蕉视频直播� the second in Canada 香蕉视频直播� when he was appointed an associate chief judge of the provincial court. In 2001, he rose to was then called the Court of Queen香蕉视频直播檚 Bench.

In all, he spent 28 years as a judge.

He served as co-chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba to examine whether the justice system was failing Indigenous people after the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting death of J.J. Harper.

He also directed the complex Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Inquest into the deaths of 12 children at Winnipeg香蕉视频直播檚 Health Sciences Centre.

In leading the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he participated in hundreds of hearings across Canada and heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors.

The commissioners released their widely influential final report in 2015, which described what took place at the institutions as cultural genocide and included 94 calls to action.

香蕉视频直播淓ducation is the key to reconciliation,香蕉视频直播� Sinclair said. 香蕉视频直播淓ducation got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.香蕉视频直播�

Two years later, he and the other commissioners received the Meritorious Service Cross for their work.

It was one of many recognitions Sinclair received over his career.

He was given a National Aboriginal Achievement Award, now the Indspire Awards, in the field of justice in 1994. In 2017, he received a lifetime achievement award from the organization.

He was also awarded the Manitoba Bar Association香蕉视频直播檚 Equality Award in 2001 and the Canadian Bar Association香蕉视频直播檚 president香蕉视频直播檚 medal in 2018.

In 2016, Sinclair was appointed to the Senate. He retired from that role in 2021.

The following year, he received the Order of Canada for dedicating his life to championing Indigenous Peoples香蕉视频直播� rights and freedoms.

In accepting that honour, Sinclair said he wanted to show the country that working on Indigenous issues requires a national effort.

香蕉视频直播淲hen I speak to young people, I always tell them that we all have a responsibility to do the best that we can and to be the best that we can be,香蕉视频直播� he said.

Sinclair limited his public engagements in recent years due to declining health.

In his memoir, Sinclair described living with congestive heart failure. Nerve damage led to him relying on a wheelchair.

His family recently posted a statement saying he had been in hospital for the last few months.

Sinclair spoke at the 2023 swearing-in ceremony of Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, the first First Nations person to lead a province. Sinclair called the milestone 香蕉视频直播淢anitoba香蕉视频直播檚 true act of reconciliation香蕉视频直播� that would usher in a 香蕉视频直播渘ew phase.香蕉视频直播�

香蕉视频直播淭hat phase ultimately is going to lead to a relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in which we are able to show true respect to all of those who are here and all of those who come here.香蕉视频直播�

Sinclair香蕉视频直播檚 memoir was released in September. In it, he continued to challenge Canadians to take action.

香蕉视频直播淲e know that making things better will not happen overnight. It will take generations. That香蕉视频直播檚 how the damage was created and that香蕉视频直播檚 how the damage will be fixed,香蕉视频直播� Sinclair wrote.

香蕉视频直播淏ut if we agree on the objective of reconciliation, and agree to work together, the work we do today will immeasurably strengthen the social fabric of Canada tomorrow.香蕉视频直播�