November 5 will go down in history as a very sad day. It’s the day we learned of the passing of Chief Justice Murray Sinclair, this country’s exquisite example of the best in humanity. So many accomplishments in his lifetime, but for me it was his role as Chair of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission that was most impactful.
I had the privilege of sharing space with him during the final national TRC hearings, held in Edmonton in March 2014. It was a large multi-day event, involving the Governor General and thousands of people. Not all of the hearings were this grand, of course, but courageous survivors of Canada’s residential school system shared their stories undeterred by the fanfare.
I had been invited to attend with a bus full of high school students and their teachers, and these young people were an inspiration themselves. They were so humble to be part of the day, so determined to do their part towards justice, so open to hear and learn and be affected. It was a day of completely raw emotion, as elderly Indigenous people shared testimony of long-ago pain to rooms full of compassionate witnesses.
What I thought that day, and many times since, was the amazing person that Mr. Sinclair must be. He walked this path of pain alongside so many people in a multi-year mission of great compassion. He offered this country enormous lessons in how to treat others, despite great personal cost. His was a life of sacrifice and service. He embodied values I, and so very many people, hold dear. He was hopeful of the potential of human kindness.
I bet you thought I was referring to something else that happened on November 5th. A polar opposite event also happened that day. But I will think of the unfailing fortitude and meaningful insight of Justice Murray Sinclair in the coming few years, because we have work to do.
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