Family, friends, dignitaries honour the life of Murray Sinclair at memorial service

The family of the late Murray Sinclair remember his life as being "a beacon of integrity and compassion" as they are joined by members of the public, the Canadian Governor General and prime minister during a commemorative service at Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre to honour his legacy Sunday afternoon. 

CBC News will be sharing special coverage of Sinclair's memorial starting at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Sinclair, an Anishinaabe lawyer who was the first Indigenous person appointed as a judge in Manitoba and went on to become chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into residential schools and a senator, died early Monday morning in Winnipeg at the age of 73.

A member of Peguis First Nation, Sinclair was born in 1951, just north of Selkirk on what used to be the St. Peter's reserve. His spirit name, Mazina Giizhik-iban, translates to "the one who speaks of pictures in the sky" in Anishinaabemowin.

"To us, our dad was a leader and teacher in our ceremonies; but we also recognize that for innumerable others, he was also a leader in political, business and legal communities. Today's memorial service is a beautiful celebration of the depth and breadth of another side of his work: his lifelong commitment to human rights and justice, and his relentless pursuit of the truth," his family said in a statement on Sunday. 

Earlier this week, the province and federal government announced plans for a service — the first national commemorative ceremony honouring an Indigenous leader — which will take place at the downtown Winnipeg arena starting at 2 p.m. CT. The doors opened to the public at 1 p.m. CT. 

Sinclair was laid to rest on Thursday and given full Midewiwin funerary rites as the Western Doorway Chief and Road Chief of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge, his family's statement said. 

"He called upon us to be kind to one another; to support young people in their search to know who they are and where they come from; and to believe in truth and justice. As we carry his memory forward, we are humbled by the love and respect shown to him, and we thank all who have honoured his legacy with us," Sinclair's family said. 

Sinclair served as the co-commissioner of Manitoba's 1988 Aboriginal Justice Inquiry, which highlighted the need to take Indigenous offenders' history into account when sentencing.

Marie Wilson, who served as one of the co-commissioners of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission with Sinclair, said Canada doesn't have a long history of recognizing Indigenous greatness, but she thinks it's extraordinary that Sinclair is being properly honoured in a way that the whole country can become aware of his legacy. 

"I'm not afraid that if we lose Murray there'll be a big hole that no one else will fill. What I think is important to remember about his extraordinary life and professional contributions is that he was the first in so many areas, but that doesn't mean he'll be the last," Wilson said at the Canada Life Centre. 

Senator Marilou McPhedran said she's heard Sinclair say, on many occasions, to pick one of the 94 TRC calls to action and "do whatever you can as an individual to make that happen for all of Canada."

"I think that underscored for many of us that we do need to work collectively, but we also need to commit on an individual level and this makes it possible," McPhedran said at the arena before the service began. 

Mary Simon, Canada's first Inuk Governor General, told CBC Sinclair led Canada with kindness and in a forward-looking way that gave people hope — one of the many reasons she enjoyed working with him.