The ACA mourns the passing of the Honourable Mr. Justice Murray Sinclair, former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). Also known by his traditional Anishinaabe name, Mizhana Gheezhik (the One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky), Sinclair was a national leader in Indigenous justice and advocacy. In 1988, Sinclair became Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge – a position he held for 28 years. He then went on to lead the TRC, which shone a light on the cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples in Canada. The TRC’s 94 Calls to Action were a watershed moment in our nation’s history and had a profound impact on the Canadian Archival community.  Call to Action 70, which called for a national review of archival policies, gave rise to the Response to the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Taskforce (TRCTF) of the Steering Committee on Canada’s Archives (SCCA); a report that highlights the need for systemic change in archives and provides a road map to start making that change.
 
Sinclair was later appointed to the Senate in 2016 and became the 15th Chancellor of Queen’s University in 2021.
 
The ACA joins the rest of the nation in mourning the loss of this great man and extends our heartfelt condolences to the Honourable Murray Sinclair’s family.