Murray Sinclair

Wednesday, June 11 marks the day the office and the Prime Minister of Canada released an apology. This apology was for all the individuals who were affected by the horrific history of Indigenous people. Prior victims of residential schools were apologized to. Prime Minister Stephen Harper included another apology on behalf of the Canadian government. This was located in the House Of Commons. During the speech, Indigenous survivors and leaders were listening. Murray Sinclair was an individual to helped obtain this apology for his community.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was related in 2015. The report included information and detailed discoveries on the investigation of all parts of Indigenous history. It also included major effects on Indigenous peoples that attended or were affected by Residential Schools in Canada. There were around 6 years of gathering and listening to survivors and victims. This was from 6,000 Residential School survivors. The main objective was to bring reconciliation. Calls to action needed to be made regarding the history of the Residential School system. Chief Robert Joseph stated, "We start today. We start with every little step. If we start right now, and this moment is a moment of Reconciliation for some of us, it's a huge, huge achievement."

The 94 Calls To Action are lists of recommendations emphasized in Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission report. In 2015, the 94 calls to action were released. The main goal was to draw attention to the heartbreaking history of residential schools and bring forward reconciliation. Some of the topics mentioned in the 94 calls to action include justice, Health, Language and culture, Education, Child Welfare, Church Apologies and reconciliation, and Equity for Aboriginal People in the Legal system. Reconciliation does not happen to be an Indigenous problem. It is a Canadian problem. Every Canadian should be aware of the history this country has. This history is dark and not distant. Causing ongoing intergenerational trauma.

On April 2nd, 2016, Murray Sinclair was appointed to the Senate of Canada. He was appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. Murray Sinclair kept advocating for Indigenous rights even in the Senate. He retired from the Senate on January 31, 2021.