WINNIPEG-

A public memorial service for former judge, senator and chair of the Indian Residential School Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair, will be held Sunday in Winnipeg.

The event, hosted by the federal and Manitoba governments, will take place at the Canada Life Centre, home of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets.

Sinclair died Monday in a Winnipeg hospital at the age of 73.

A teepee and sacred fire were set up outside the Manitoba legislature for people to pay their respects hours after news of his death became public. The province said it would remain open to the public until Sinclair’s funeral.

The Sinclair family continues to invite people to visit the sacred fire and offer tobacco.

The family thanked the public for sharing words of love and support as tributes poured in this week.

“The importance of the impact and reach of Mazina Giizhik (He Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky) cannot be overstated,” the family said in a statement Tuesday, noting Sinclair’s traditional Anishinaabe name.

“He touched many lives and touched thousands.”

They encourage the public to celebrate his life and his journey home.

A visit to extended family, friends and the community is also planned for Wednesday morning.

Leaders from across Canada shared their memories of Sinclair.

Prime Minister Wab Kinew called Sinclair one of the main architects of the era of reconciliation.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Sinclair was a teacher, guide and friend who helped the country face difficult realities.

Sinclair was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba – the second in Canada.

He was co-chair of the Inquiry into Aboriginal Justice in Manitoba to examine whether the justice system had failed Aboriginal people following the murder of Helen Betty Osborne and the shooting death of First Nations leader JJ Harper by police .

While 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 highly influential final report in 2015, which called what happened at the institutions cultural genocide and included 94 calls for action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 5, 2024.