Statement from Premier Pillai on the passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair

Premier Ranj Pillai has issued the following statement:

“It is with great sadness that I mark the passing of the Honourable Murray Sinclair, one of Canada’s most decorated and influential people to work in Indigenous justice and advocacy.

“His Honour had a long career in public service. He is a former judge, senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He served over 25 years as a judge after having first been appointed as Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and Canada’s second at the time.

“As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, he led the difficult task of examining Canada’s residential school system. He participated in hundreds of hearings held across Canada, including in the Yukon, and heard testimony from thousands of residential school survivors.

“In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its report documenting one of the darkest and most troubling chapters in our collective history. The commission also issued 94 Calls to Action to help Canada reckon and address the ugly truths of the past and make things right for the future.

“At the time, His Honour said: “Education is key to reconciliation. Education got us into this mess and education will get us out of it.” All Yukoners can benefit from opportunities to learn about our history as well as Yukon First Nation ways of knowing, doing and being.

“This ground-breaking work and report continue to impact us today as we work, both at the local and national levels, towards forging and maintaining respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples and implement these important calls to action together.

“In 2016, the Honourable Murray Sinclair was appointed to the Canadian Senate where he spent five years working to move many of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action forward. In 2022, he received the Order of Canada for dedicating his life to championing Indigenous Peoples’ rights and freedoms.

“Throughout his career, His Honour travelled across the country delivering presentations on ways to tackle systemic racism in Canadian institutions. He brought the conversation to the Yukon on multiple occasions, most recently in 2019, where he generously shared his experiences and wisdom with senior Yukon government leaders.

“During his talk, His Honour was direct as he called out Canadian public institutions, including the media, for deliberately hiding the history of Residential Schools from Canadians. He warned that governments cannot resist the truth of Residential Schools out of fear that Canadians do not know how to address the past.

“He pointed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s report as accessible to everyone and a starting point for moving forward. He also reminded us that we all have responsibilities and roles to play in the journey of reconciliation.

“During a lecture he delivered in the Yukon in 2012, he had a slide that said: 'Listen, Learn, Lend a hand, Lead'. I cannot think of a better summary to exemplify the Honourable Murray Sinclair’s life's work as he passes the torch to the rest of us to do the same. May his legacy continue to reverberate for decades to come.

“On behalf of the Government of Yukon, I extend the Yukon’s heartfelt condolences to the Honourable Murray Sinclair’s family, friends and community.”