Myth 1: All residential school Survivors had the same experience

Residential schools operated for more than 150 years. While many Survivors share common themes of being separated from family, language, and culture, each experience was also shaped by the child’s community, the school itself, and when and where they attended. Kaila Johnston, Director of Education, Outreach and Public Programming, at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, explains why assuming all experiences were the same risks overlooking the unique histories and healing journeys of Survivors.

Myth 2: Indigenous medicines are not real medicine

Dr. Marcia Anderson, Vice-Dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism at UM’s
Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, dispels the myth that Indigenous medicines and ways of knowing are not real medicine. Anderson speaks not only to their validity and influence in modern medicine, but the role they can play in the future of medicine.

Myth 3: Residential Schools were well-intentioned

Sean Carleton, Associate Professor in the Department of History and Department of Indigenous Studies, addresses the critical issue of residential school denialism, a form of misinformation that distorts the facts about the residential school system. Carleton explains how twisting the truth undermines public confidence in efforts toward truth and Reconciliation.

Myth 4: Indigenous Peoples get everything for free

Niigaan Sinclair, Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies, columnist, and sought-after voice on education, politics and reconciliation debunks the widespread myth that Indigenous Peoples receive everything for free, including education, health, and housing. He uncovers the falsehoods to explain how treaties, meant to be mutually advantageous, have left Indigenous communities struggling for the same rights and privileges that Canadians often take for granted.

For education:

Increase your understanding of the issues affecting Indigenous Peoples in Canada and calls to action at:

• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDRIP)
• Truth & Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action

For support: 

• The Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) offers support such as meetings with the ISC Elders or Knowledge Keeper in residence and student counselling services that can be accessed by contacting ISC directly at 204-474-8850 or by email at isc@umanitoba.ca.
• The National Indian Residential School Crisis Line provides 24-hour crisis support to former Indian Residential School students and their families toll-free at 1-866-925-4419.  
• First Nations, Inuit and Métis seeking immediate emotional support can contact the Hope for Wellness Help Line toll-free at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat at hopeforwellness.ca. 

“The NCTR is a place where we as Manitobans can gather to honour Survivors and keep moving forward on the path of Reconciliation,” said Premier Wab Kinew. “As Orange Shirt Day approaches, this new permanent home will be a lasting commitment – the stories of Survivors will always be respected, their truths will not be forgotten – so the true lesson that every child matters will be transmitted to the future.” 

The announcement was held on the grounds where the new facility will be built. The new Centre will serve as a home for sacred artifacts and historical records including oral testimonies from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada that documented the history and ongoing impact of the residential school system on Indigenous children, their families and communities. 

“We are grateful to the Manitoba government for this extraordinary commitment to our new home,” said Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the NCTR. “With this support, we will be able to build a space that honours Survivors, protects their truths, and welcomes people from across Canada to learn and walk the path of Reconciliation. This is a gift that will strengthen both our community here in Manitoba and the national movement toward truth and justice.” 

The vision for the new Centre is that it will be an international learning lodge open to the public. It will feature exhibits, indoor and outdoor ceremonial spaces and other functional spaces. It will offer a place to deliver educational programming, conduct ongoing research and share dialogue on the implementation of the Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. 

The new Centre will be a place where family members can visit for healing and to reconnect with lost histories and loved ones. It will be a place where children, families, and people from all walks of life can embark on their own journey of Reconciliation based on understanding and appreciating the true history of residential schools.  

“We’re so thankful to have a partner like the NCTR guiding us forward, helping us to learn and understand our true history and continue forward in a path of Reconciliation,” said Michael Benarroch, UM president and vice-chancellor. “Our university is honoured to have the trust and responsibility to help build this home for the NCTR, to reflect the vision of Survivors and help it fulfill the mission and mandate.” 

Established in 2015, the NCTR has operated out of a temporary location at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry campus. The premier noted this investment will help to bring the vision of a permanent home to life. The project has also received support through the Government of Canada, The Winnipeg Foundation, Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada, and many others. The land for the future site was gifted by the University of Manitoba, which will continue to provide in-kind support. 

Donate to the new building or learn more more about supporting the NCTR.

“On behalf of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, I want to express our deepest gratitude to Mastercard for this generous gift. This contribution is more than financial support, it is a powerful recognition of Survivors, their truths, and the children who never returned home from residential schools,” said Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the NCTR. “With this partnership, we will be able to showcase the voices and strength of Survivors on an international scale, ensuring the world bears witness to their statements and oral histories. Reconciliation is not a single act, but a shared journey. With Mastercard walking alongside us, we move closer to a future rooted in truth, justice, and hope.” 

Supporting the Calls to Action 

Marking a decade of work under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) Final Report and Calls to Action, this funding supports the exceptional contributions of organizations across Canada that are elevating Indigenous youth leadership and transforming post-secondary education with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities. 

The gift to the NCTR will strengthen the Centre’s capacity to advance reconciliation for all Canadians through the education of children and youth. As the permanent home of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s records and sacred items, the Centre plays a vital role in honouring Survivors’ truths and ensuring they guide present and future generations to learn, reflect, and take action.  

The NCTR is inspiring young people to become builders of a more just and equitable future. Nearly one million students engage annually in Truth and Reconciliation Week through national education programs, resources, virtual events, and teaching materials. Creative leadership is sparked through Imagine a Canada, a program that empowers youth to envision a reconciled future. With this new support, those programs will reach even further, igniting young voices and leadership across the country. 

“The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is engaged, day in and day out, in the vital work of protecting and preserving the truth of the residential school experience for Survivors, their families, and to enable all those living in Canada to act with knowledge for a more just and equitable future. We made a commitment to young Indigenous people that we would walk alongside them to transform post-secondary education in ways that support them to live a good life. This exemplary organization is contributing to that change and to a stronger country for us all,” Jennifer Brennan, Senior Director, Canada Programs at the Mastercard Foundation. 

The tenth anniversary of the TRC is a vital time for all Canadians to reflect on progress made and recommit to the urgent work ahead. In alignment with this, the Mastercard Foundation has also gifted $5 million to the University of Manitoba. This funding will enable UM to expand their reach, accelerate change in service of Indigenous youth and deepen partnerships with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

Together for truth and reconciliation 

With the support of generous donors, including the Mastercard Foundation, the NCTR ensures the truths of Survivors are safeguarded, honoured, and carried forward by young people who will lead us into a future of equity and understanding. 

At its heart, this partnership reflects a shared vision: creating a better future by learning from the truths of the past. The Mastercard Foundation has long been dedicated to building stronger, more equitable communities, and this funding demonstrates a deep commitment to equip the next generation with the tools they need to imagine, and to build, a reconciled Canada. The NCTR is honoured to walk this journey with the Mastercard Foundation and deeply thankful for their trust, confidence, and vision for a brighter future.

But Samara herself is a Worimi/Biripi Indigenous woman from Awabakal Country in New South Wales. Her family and extended family are Indigenous. “I always struggled to reconcile this idea of the dying out of Indigenous people. I felt a disconnect between the things I was being taught in school, and the reality I knew,” she says.

Today, as a visiting doctoral student in the University of Manitoba’s sociology and criminology department, Samara identifies this experience as an example of educational genocide, a phrase she uses in her research to describe “the ways in which education systems are used to try to assimilate Indigenous people and destroy Indigenous knowledges and practices.”

Samara’s research has found that both Australia and Canada have histories of overt educational genocide. Parallel residential school systems in each country pursued policies of forcible assimilation intended to “kill the Indian in the child,” policies that systematically undermined Indigenous cultures by severing the ties through which Indigenous culture is taught and sustained. Survivors’ accounts describe routine physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse that caused profound intergenerational trauma.

Samara came to the University of Manitoba in 2023 to conduct doctoral research on current day educational law and policy in both countries to see how educational policy has evolved. Her research asks, “what is the constitutive role of education law and policy in genocide against Indigenous people, and does that assimilative impulse still exist in more covert ways?” She planned to visit for six months but ended up staying for two years – time that was necessary, she says, to build relationships to ensure the research took place in a non-extractive way.

At UM, Samara worked with genocide scholar Dr. Andrew Woolford, sociology and criminology department, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to identify insights about the process of reconciliation and the historical treaty relationships between Indigenous people and the Government of Canada. She interviewed academics, teachers, First Nations educators and reconciliation professionals to collect qualitative data about the current state of education and found that the foundations of the Canadian education system are still very much rooted in western philosophies, values and knowledge systems.

Samara explains that western educational values typically emphasize individual achievement and economic productivity, while Indigenous education values “holistic spiritual and community wellbeing.” Because of this, she explains, “even though there’s a lot of effort to incorporate Indigenous knowledge into curriculum, it’s quite literally assimilated by western frameworks within the level of law and policy.”

While including Indigenous perspectives in standard curriculum is a positive step, Samara observes that material “is always being selected in ways that validate existing subject areas and systems. This risks doing a disservice to Indigenous knowledge because it’s being disembodied from its whole and being placed into western disciplinary frameworks.”

Instead, Samara suggests, educational reforms could “start from a foundation of Indigenous knowledge.” Instead of looking for Indigenous perspectives to include in the existing curriculum, she wonders “how can we develop a curriculum entirely from Indigenous knowledges? It would be a completely different starting point.”

Her research argues that exploring the fundamental assumptions of education systems and considering alternative models could open possibilities for an education system (in Canada, Australia and beyond) that is grounded in, and honours, Indigenous ways of knowing.

Samara has returned to Australia where she will continue her research as she teaches in the Faculty of Law and Justice at the University of New South Wales.

This gift will support the development of a landmark space dedicated to not only preserving the truths of Residential School Survivors and educating generations of Canadians about our shared history but also acting as a national and international beacon of truth and reconciliation, education, and healing.  

UM spoke with Stephanie Scott (SS), Executive Director of the NCTR, and Paul Mahon (PM), President and CEO of Canada Life, to talk about the significance of this gift and how it supports the work of the NCTR. 

Winnipeg: The Heart of Turtle Island 

The Centre’s home in Winnipeg, MB is deeply symbolic. Known in Prairie cultures as the heart of Turtle Island, the city sits at the geographic centre of Canada and has long served as a gathering place for diverse peoples. 

Q: How does the location of the NCTR in Winnipeg—both physically and symbolically—reflect its role in truth and reconciliation across Canada? 

SS: “Winnipeg has always supported Truth and Reconciliation, and it’s where the Truth and Reconciliation Commission held its earliest events. The NCTR is surrounded by some of the country’s largest Indigenous populations and is rooted in strong community partnerships.” 

PM: “Indigenous leaders tell us that this land where Winnipeg is has been a meeting place for thousands of years. I believe that continues to be just as true today as it has always been. With the establishment of a permanent home, the NCTR will be able to continue bringing people together in the shared goal of reconciliation.” 

A New Home for the NCTR — A National Space for Healing and Learning 

The NCTR’s new building will be a space where Survivors and their families can gather to share their truths, knowledge, and experiences. It will also be a place for reflection and reconnection—where families can visit to heal, remember lost loved ones, and reclaim erased histories. 

Since 2015, the NCTR has preserved more than 7,000 Survivor statements, thousands of photographs, and sacred items entrusted to its care. Until now, it has operated from a temporary space on UM’s campus. The new facility will allow the Centre to continue this work on a scale that matches its national and global significance.  

Q: The NCTR is dedicated to preserving Survivor’s truths—how does this funding help ensure that their truths are heard and learned from? 

SS: “The Centre works on behalf of Survivors, alongside a network of partners and supporters, to expand and promote the ongoing research and learning of residential schools and their lasting impacts. With each story we preserve, we safeguard the truth for future generations—and this funding brings us one step closer to making the Survivor’s vision of a permanent home a reality.” 

Q: Why did Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada choose to support the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation with this $2 million gift? 

PM: “Our relationship with the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has been one focused on advancing reconciliation. And while we are proud of the work we’ve done so far, we also recognize that the work is far from finished. The decision to support the NCTR’s campaign to build a permanent home is part of our ongoing commitment to doing better. This is a gift of responsibility. A recognition that we have a role to play, and that reconciliation is not someone else’s job—it belongs to all of us. It’s one step—among many—in a journey we are committed to taking.” 

Q: What message do you think this gift sends to other corporate and philanthropic organizations in Canada? 

SS: “We cannot do this work alone. This gift shows other corporate and philanthropic organizations that they, too, can belong to this movement. There is space for everyone to contribute to truth and reconciliation.” 

PM: “Reconciliation is not a box to be checked. It’s not a single act. It’s a continuous process—one that calls on us to listen more deeply, to act more meaningfully. I see the potential for our whole community to come together in reconciliation. Putting our foot forward this way calls on other organizations across Canada to do their part as well, and I think that is what’s most important.” 

A Call for Collective Action 

This gift is more than a contribution—it is a call to action, as lasting change requires widespread participation. 

Q: Why is it important for Canadian businesses and corporations to take an active role in Truth and Reconciliation? 

PM: “After the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its report and Calls to Action, we were asked to join the Winnipeg Indigenous Accord. By signing the Accord, we committed ourselves to supporting Reconciliation. Looking back, I’m very proud that Canada Life is one of the founding signatories to the Accord.  

Aligned to the Call to Action #92, we began a journey that continues to this day. We’ve engaged Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and other Indigenous voices to help amplify their stories. Through this, both our company, and our employees have learned more about the importance of Truth and Reconciliation and our role in it. As a company, we’ve made a point to raise the Survivors flag, honour Orange Shirt Day, and voluntarily provide all of our employees with a day away from work on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to allow them to engage on this important day. 

For Canada Life, these actions are entirely aligned to our values and our purpose as a company. These actions have strengthened the fabric of our culture as an organization. They also connect us more deeply to the communities we serve and operate in. I’m hopeful that other businesses will continue to walk with us on this journey to advance Truth and Reconciliation Reconciliation in Canada. 

We recognize that we all have a role to play in supporting Truth and Reconciliation. This is a responsibility that belongs to all of us. The NCTR will continue to guide all of us in this work, and they’ll be enabled by a permanent home here in Manitoba.” 

Looking Ahead 

The NCTR is more than a building. It is a living legacy. A space where Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can gather, learn, and heal together. 

Q: For Canadians who want to support Truth and Reconciliation but aren’t sure how, what advice would you give them? 

SS: “Every Canadian has a role to play. I would encourage all to reach out to learn more about the NCTR and our mandate and priorities. People can attend a monthly webinar, Residential Schools 101, participate in ongoing NCTR Dialogues on a variety of topics, or attend events during our annual Truth and Reconciliation Week at the end of September. The most powerful thing you can do is show up, listen, and carry those truths with you.” 

The journey of truth and reconciliation continues—and with support from allies like Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada, that journey is taking shape in Winnipeg, MB — at the heart of the nation. 

To learn more about NCTR corporate giving, please contact Janell Melenchuk, Director of Major & Corporate Giving at janell.melenchuk@umanitoba.ca. For other ways to support the NCTR, please visit their website. 

As part of a major $40 million capital campaign, this gift will help the NCTR build a new, dedicated and permanent home located on the grounds of the University of Manitoba. Construction of the new facility will begin in 2026 and is slated to open in 2029.

“At Canada Life, we’re committed to advancing reconciliation and fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities across Canada,” said Paul Mahon, President and CEO, Canada Life. “A permanent facility for the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will be a space for Survivors to share knowledge, a place where Indigenous cultures may grow and thrive, and a guiding light for all Canadians to learn, reflect, and grow, as we participate on the journey of reconciliation together. We’re honoured to be able to support this important project which will allow the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation to leave a permanent legacy for all Canadians.”

“At Power Corporation, we believe in creating space — physical, human and symbolic — for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples,” said Paul C. Genest, Senior Vice President, Power Corporation of Canada. “The new home of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation will be a lasting place of truth telling, learning, and healing for Survivors and for all Canadians. We’re honoured to support this important project and grateful to the NCTR for their strength, vision and leadership.”

Established in 2015, the NCTR continues the work started by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, serving as the home to the statements, documents and historic materials of Residential School Survivors, families and communities. Hosted in a temporary space at the University of Manitoba, they promote continued research and learning on the legacy of residential schools to foster reconciliation and healing on the foundation of truth telling.

“Residential schools attempted to take away our languages, our identities, and our very selves,” said Edna Elias, NCTR Survivor Circle member. “Yet we are still here – as strong peoples who are building futures alongside our communities for future generations. That’s why the NCTR’s building is so important to Survivors. It will be a sacred space where we can share our truths and oral histories with our future generations.” 

Their new, permanent home will be an international attraction for its cutting-edge work where history and Indigenous cultures come to life. It will be a safe space for Survivors to come together to share their truths, knowledge and experiences, a place where family members can visit for healing and to reconnect with lost histories and loved ones, and a place where children, families, and people from all walks of life can embark on their own journey of reconciliation.

“The NCTR is grateful to Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada for this gift – it is a true demonstration of their commitment to preserving the truths of Survivors who were forced to attend residential schools,” said Stephanie Scott, Executive Director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. “This gift will help us build our international learning lodge, where the truths are protected, where history is never forgotten nor denied, and where all are welcome to visit to know more about residential schools, and the impacts they have had on Indigenous Peoples, their families and communities.”

“NCTR has been one of the most transformative partners the University of Manitoba has had. And it is our university’s great honour to hold their trust as we build a new home that reflects the vision of Survivors from across this country,” said Dr. Michael Benarroch, University of Manitoba, President and Vice-chancellor. “We are privileged and grateful to have remarkable partners in Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada who share in our commitment to advance Calls to Action and preserve Survivor stories.”

Canada Life and Power Corporation of Canada have a long history of philanthropic leadership and remain dedicated to helping to build stronger communities, advancing reconciliation and fostering understanding, healing and meaningful change. Over the past few years, Canada Life has worked collaboratively with NCTR to honour and amplify the voices of Indigenous communities, through raising the Survivors’ Flag in commemoration of Orange Shirt Day.

For more information about the NCTR, please visit their website.

For more information about Canada Life, please visit their website.

For more information about Power Corporation of Canada, please visit their website.

The six graduates represent diverse educational backgrounds and life experiences with practicum placements and thesis topics covering a wide range including Gender and Human Rights, Indigenous and Minority Rights, New Horizons in Human Rights, and Migration, Displacement and Human Rights. Students in the Practicum program, students participate in work placements with leading local and international human rights organizations to gain practical, hands-on experience doing human rights work.  Students and their topics are as follows:

Erin Gobert (Thesis) Human rights and reproductive healthcare in rural, remote, and northern Manitoba

Nabil Iqbal (Thesis) Refining legal frameworks for cross-border climate-induced displacement: a comprehensive analysis of provisions, definitions, and new arrangements under international law

Claire (Xiaoxia) Li (Practicum) Understanding the right to education under the Hukou system in China: from a human rights perspective

Ana Martin (Practicum) The international right to health and Jordan’s Principle: a comparative analysis of the substantive and procedural differences to Indigenous children’s right to health in Canada

Trixie Maybituin (Thesis) A preliminary human rights-based analysis of Winnipeg’s municipal budget

Fatemeh Shabani (Thesis) Power and paradigms in accounts of Iran’s human rights situation: a case of epistemic injustice

The University of Manitoba launched its Master of Human Rights (MHR) program in September 2019. The program is the first of its kind in Canada and prepares students for careers in human rights advocacy. The program is a collaboration of the faculties of Arts, Law, Education, and Social Work. It also cooperates with the Centre for Human Rights Research, the Arthur V. Mauro Institute for Peace and Justice in St. Paul’s College, and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The MHR program is currently accepting applications for the 2025 Fall Term. The deadline for applications is December 1^st, 2024. Visit the Explore page to apply.

Detailed information about the University of Manitoba’s Master of Human Rights program can be found on the Faculty of Law website.

While attending McGill University on a chess scholarship, he joined Gairdner & Company as a Security Analyst. Within a year he was recruited by American mining entrepreneur Joseph Hirshhorn, joining the team that discovered “The Big Z”. A man of great vision and bold ideas, he ventured around the globe, from investing in copper mining in South America to brokering oil deals in the Middle East. Always ahead of the curve and ready to embrace new trends, he was a leading figure in bringing pharma, electronics and telecom to post-Soviet Russia. He had a gift of seeing opportunities and solutions to problems and the courage to take them.  

His curiosity and love for exploration saw him work closely with First Nation groups across Ontario, during various phases throughout his life. In 2021, when the news broke regarding the discovery of unmarked graves at residential schools in Canada, he was heartbroken. 

“When the the graves were discovered across Canada, starting with one Indian Residential School and then another, he was horrified by that,” said Steven’s daughter Veronica Low. “He called me in tears. He was absolutely shocked and outraged and angered that this had happened in Canada, the country that had welcomed him and his mother. He felt that something had to be done.”  

Veronica and her father started to talk about creating a foundation, and their first course of action was to reach out to Indigenous groups and communities across Canada to find out what they needed and/or wanted and pledged that the Foundation would be set up in a way that could honour that. In the fall of 2022, with the help of the Oakville Community Foundation, they created The Steven Low Foundation. 

Her father’s hope for the Foundation that would bear his name was also to help find the beloved remains of residential school children, bringing some closure to those suffering from generational trauma. To help make that hope a reality, the Foundation recently made a gift to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR). 

In a letter accompanying the gift, Steven wrote: “As a Holocaust survivor, I know firsthand what it is like to be robbed of one’s identity, heritage, and future. I survived. I lived. I was granted a life, coming to Canada as a refugee. I was given hope by a nation, only to learn the appalling truth of its past. It is my personal wish that The Steven Low Foundation bring healing and hope to those who have suffered too much and for too long.” 

“At the end of the day, do I have the responsibility, the obligation, to fix this? Yes, we all do,” said Veronica. “There are a lot of people who say this happened a long time ago, but that’s just not true. And unfortunately to this day there are politicians who deny this has ever happened just as there were politicians who denied the Holocaust ever happened. This is where the NCTR has such an important critical role in sharing the truths and stories of Survivors.” 

For this father-daughter team, it was imperative to get out there and do something. Whether doing something means reading about it and opening your eyes, researching and understanding the truth and from an Indigenous group or educational program or making a donation, they said they weren’t going to wait, and they encourage other people not to wait either.  

“I think with philanthropy, you have to have faith that the people you’re supporting have a genuine request and a genuine need, and you give to them with no strings attached,” said Veronica. “If I were to give advice to others thinking about giving back, it would be to have that same faith and not micromanage. If you’re going to give, give from your heart, give what’s needed, give what’s requested and trust that it will be properly managed.”  

That ultimately is the main goal of the Foundation: to hear directly from Indigenous communities, groups and organizations about what needs funding and give what’s needed. While everything is run through the Oakville Community Foundation, Veronica still meets with all funding requesters as she knows it was important to her now late father, and she feels him smiling down on her knowing he’s happy they’re helping to do the right thing. 

In conclusion to his letter, Steven wrote: “To do nothing is not an option. It is in all of us to step forward, be mindful leaders, and treat each other with dignity and respect. It is up to all of us to right an unconscionable wrong in any and every way we can.” 

For more information about the Steven Low Foundation, visit their website. 

For more information about the NCTR, visit their website. 

Learn more about how donor support is making an impact at UM.

Independent Special Interlocutor Kimberly Murray has released her final report after two years of examining the issue of missing and disappeared Indigenous children and unmarked burials sites at residential schools in Canada.

During the ceremony last week in Gatineau, Que., Murray said governments do not often implement recommendations given on such reports. So she opted to identify 42 “legal, moral and ethical obligations” for governments, churches and other institutions. These are proposals on how to make holistic reparations to Indigenous Peoples.

Murray emphasized that the children were “victims of enforced disappearance.”

Since the 1870s and continuing for more than 150 years, over 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were taken from their families and forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has documented more than 4,100 deaths of children at the schools.

Read the full story here.

“In his every role, the Honourable Murray Sinclair was a moral compass, guiding us all towards the path to Reconciliation, and on behalf of the University of Manitoba, I extend our condolences to his family,” says President Michael Benarroch. “The University of Manitoba is committed to honouring his legacy by furthering Reconciliation efforts within our community and beyond. We are deeply honoured to be host to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which came about through Sinclair’s leadership and advocacy. And though his vision and voice will be profoundly missed, they will continue to inspire us toward a more just and inclusive future.”

In 2002, when Sinclair received an Honorary Degree from St. John’s College at the University of Manitoba, his son Niigaanwewidam Sinclair—now a Professor in the Department of Indigenous Studies—questioned his decision to accept an honorary degree from a religious institution involved in residential schools. As Niigaan later recounted, his father didn’t respond directly but instead took the stage before church leaders and called for the creation of what would become the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. When he stepped off the stage, he told Niigaan, “That’s why I do it.”

“He made an argument for an investigation into the issue of residential schools, and that this country needs to commit to survivors and listen to them and believe them,” Niigaan remembered in a conversation with president Benarroch.

Six years later, in 2008, the TRC was charged with documenting the experiences of Survivors, their families, and communities affected by Canada’s residential school system, uncovering the truths about this dark chapter in Canadian history, and setting the foundation for Reconciliation efforts.

As commissioner, Sinclair [LLB/79, LLD/02] led the TRC’s efforts to collect over 6,500 testimonies from residential school survivors, many of whom bravely shared their experiences for the first time. This work resulted in the publication of the TRC’s findings, including the landmark 94 Calls to Action, which have become guiding principles in Canada’s ongoing journey toward Reconciliation. Recognizing the importance of preserving these stories for future generations and ensuring accountability, Sinclair advocated for the establishment of a permanent home for the TRC’s records, testimonies, and research findings.

This advocacy laid the groundwork for the founding of the NCTR, which officially opened at the University of Manitoba in 2015. As a steward of the TRC’s archives, the NCTR serves as a vital resource for education, research, and commemoration, helping Canadians confront the legacy of residential schools and work toward meaningful Reconciliation.

“This loss is so profound. I personally got to work with the Honourable Murray Sinclair years ago and his contributions to Indigenous rights, education, and justice have forever transformed Turtle Island, and he did it all with kindness, humility and wisdom,” says Angie Bruce, Vice-President (Indigenous). “He is truly an inspiring figure whose legacy of leadership and truth telling will live on. The UM community is so grateful to have shared time with him, and to have had a role in his story. We extend our deepest sympathies to his family and all those who had the privilege of learning from and working alongside him.”

Yet Sinclair’s career of listening and telling the truth about broken systems—and who they fail—almost didn’t happen because the man tasked with being witness to the testimonies from the thousands of Indigenous people harmed in residential schools, mostly by Catholic priests, almost became a priest himself.

His grandma, as a young woman, was intent on becoming a nun but when she decided to leave the convent, she could only do so in exchange for a pledge to foster this commitment in a child. Sinclair grew up understanding he would fulfill that promise and she didn’t let him date until his 20s, in preparation. When he finally pushed back, she conceded, but had him vow he would do something good with his life.

With $1,000 his grandma—his beloved kookum—saved, he pursued a law degree at the University of Manitoba, but he wasn’t always convinced he wanted to be part of a system that felt so discriminatory.

As an Anishinaabe lawyer who sometimes got mistaken for the accused, Sinclair pushed through and would become Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge. He led the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry into the role racism played in the investigations of murdered Cree teenager Helen Betty Osborne and the police shooting of Indigenous leader J.J. Harper.

He grew up with a sister and two brothers on the St. Peter’s Reserve near Selkirk, Man.

Their grandmother and their aunts raised them following the death of their mother, Florence, from a stroke not long after his youngest brother was born. It wasn’t until Sinclair’s involvement with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he learned his father was among those sexually abused in residential school. He heard from his uncle how his dad, at age 10, was able to alert his grandma since she lived nearby. She managed to take back her kids and move away.

It was one of thousands of horrible stories. Sinclair later said he did not anticipate how difficult a burden it would be to assume the role of truth finder and teller.

“Whenever they cried, we cried with them,”  Sinclair told UM Today the Magazine. “We didn’t really appreciate just how heavy it was going to be. Winnipeg was our first major set of hearings and after that session was over and we were debriefing I can remember one of the commissioners saying, ‘My God, are they all going to be like this?’ And they all were.”

But Sinclair never let negativity take over. “I don’t sit around weeping, feeling sad and feeling angry,” he said. “You can easily go back and look at all the bad memories and sad memories and let that dominate your sense of self, but I don’t do that. I acknowledge them. I speak of them and I learned early on, utilizing traditional approaches, how to memorialize them so that I didn’t have to live with them constantly.”

He would start each day with a prayer, singing as he played a drum. His huskies—one of them named Stevie (he’s a Fleetwood Mac fan)—would join in by howling. Today, the silence pains this country.

Mazina Giizhik, as the story goes, searches for answers to help his people and looks up for messages from Creator. And though we are now without him, we will be forever guided by the truth he uncovered and the lessons he left behind.