SENATOR Murray Sinclair is the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s 2018 President’s Award. The award recognizes his exceptional contribution to the legal profession and the public life of Canada.

Senator Sinclair was the Chair of the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He was the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba, and is a current member of the Canadian Senate.

Senator Sinclair was honoured at the CBA’s President’s Dinner on Friday, February 16.

CBA President Kerry Simmons said: “Senator Murray Sinclair is the ultimate truth teller. He has spent his life listening to and sharing the stories of Indigenous Peoples, offering solutions and challenging all of us to do better, to do more. I am proud to honour Senator Sinclair in recognition of his lifelong public service and contribution to social justice in Canada.”

Quick Facts:

· Senator Sinclair was called to the Bar in 1980. He practised primarily in the fields of Civil and Criminal Litigation, Human Rights Law and Aboriginal Law

· Senator Sinclair was the first Aboriginal judge appointed in Manitoba (1988) and later became the Associate Chief Judge of that Court.

· In 2001 he became a justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench.

· In 2009 he joined the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as Chair and completed its Final Report in 2015.

· He was appointed Senator from Manitoba in April 2016.