Former Saskatchewan senator Lillian Dyck remembers Murray Sinclair as a larger-than-life figure.

“He was such a giant man with a very gentle but incredibly strong spirit. And being in his presence, it just, you know, felt so good to be with him,” Dyck said Monday.

Sinclair, a renowned Anishinaabe senator and Manitoba lawyer who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), died Monday morning at the age of 73.

Sinclair was Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and became a senator in 2016.

“I know that across the country they will mourn the loss of a great man, a great friend and a man who many Canadians loved because of the work he accomplished, his personality and his character ” said Dyck.

Dyck recounted a conversation that showed how loved Sinclair was.

“One day one of the residential school survivors in Saskatoon was talking about Murray and I thought he was going to say Murray was calling him to check on him,” Dyck said.

“But he said no. The survivors were calling to check on Murray because they knew how much of the evidence that he had heard, that he had witnessed and had deeply ingrained in his soul, they knew how much it affected him.

“So they were calling him to make sure he was okay. That’s how much love he had.”

WATCH | ‘Loss of a great man’: Former Senator Lillian Dyck pays tribute to Murray Sinclair:

“Loss of a great man”: Former senator Lillian Dyck pays tribute to Murray Sinclair

Murray Sinclair, Anishinaabe senator and renowned Manitoba lawyer who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has died at the age of 73. Former Senator Lillian Dyck, originally from Saskatchewan, talks about Sinclair’s work and the connection he shared with the residential school survivors he heard from. testimony and how much he will be missed in Canada.

Dyck said Sinclair’s work with the TRC will have a profound effect on all Canadians for years to come. She said it was very important that programs based on the work of the TRC were developed in universities and schools.

“So that Canadians, including Indigenous Canadians, can have the history of our country, the real history, in our curricula across the country,” she said.

“Over time, when you think about it, with the changes in elementary school, middle school and high school, it’s going to have a profound impact.”

After retiring from the Senate in 2021, Sinclair was appointed chancellor of Queen’s University.

Among his many other honors were the Order of Manitoba and his appointment as a Companion of the Order of Canada.

Cadmus Delorme, former chief of the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, said that to understand Sinclair’s legacy, one must understand the role he played in creating truth and reconciliation in Canada.

Delorme spoke of Sinclair going through the painstaking process of interviewing residential school survivors across Canada.

“For Murray and his team, traveling the country and hearing these interviews that weighed heavily on their hearts,” he said. “But Murray took it in stride and considered it his duty.”

WATCH | Former Cowessess boss says Murray Sinclair taught him to “climb this mountain together”:

Former Cowessess chef says Murray Sinclair taught him to ‘climb this mountain together’

Murray Sinclair, Anishinaabe senator and renowned Manitoba lawyer who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, has died at the age of 73. Cadmus Delorme, former chief of the Cowessess First Nation in Saskatchewan, says Sinclair taught him to live in “both beautiful worlds.” ‘

Delorme said the TRC’s 94 calls to action are a direct result of Sinclair’s work.

“Every Canadian and every Indigenous person in Canada benefits from the hard work he and his team have done,” he said.

“Now, today, it’s up to us to make sure we implement it, so Murray’s children and grandchildren can succeed in this world because of the hard work he did.”

The Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) released a statement on Sinclair’s death, attributed to Chief Mark Arcand.

“Everyone in Canada must thank Senator Sinclair for his work on behalf of truth and reconciliation,” the statement said. “His life of service helped put us on the path to better outcomes for our people who still suffer from the effects of residential schools. »