‘Brilliant mind’ praised by prime minister for pioneering country’s Indigenous reconciliation efforts

Murray Sinclair, the Anishinaabe judge, senator and university chancellor, who reshaped Canada’s legal system and forced the public to confront the brutal realities of the Indigenous residential school system, has died at the age of 73.

Sinclair – whose spirit name was Mizhana Gheezhik, meaning “The One Who Speaks of Pictures in the Sky” – was a champion of Indigenous rights and reconciliation efforts, dedicating his life to reversing the stark inequties many Indigenous communities face as the result of colonial policy.