Murray Sinclair, who led Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, dies at age 73

rahul.kalvapalle — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 19:25:01 +0000

rahul.kalvapalle Mon, 11/04/2024 - 14:25

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(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

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Honorary Degree

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Truth and Reconciliation

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Sinclair received an honorary degree from U of T in 2017 in recognition of his advocacy for Indigenous Peoples

Murray Sinclair, the Anishinaabe senator and lawyer who served as chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), has died at 73.

A member of Peguis First Nation, Sinclair grew up in Selkirk, Man., and went on to become a successful lawyer and the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba in 1988, The Globe & Mail reported, eventually being named the commissioner of the TRC in 2009.

Under his leadership, the TRC visited hundreds of communities and spoke to thousands of Indigenous Peoples over a six-year period, before concluding that Canada had committed “cultural genocide” against Indigenous Peoples, and that its residential schools were a key element of its policy to destroy Indigenous cultures, said CBC News.

In recognition of his lifelong advocacy for Indigenous People, Sinclair was awarded an honorary degree from the �ؿ�ζSM in 2017. He accepted the honour less than a year after the release of Wecheehetowin, the final report of the Steering Committee for the �ؿ�ζSM Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. The report contained 34 calls to action for the university to pursue to advance the cause of reconciliation.

In his address at Convocation Hall on Nov. 6, 2017, Sinclair urged graduating students to keep an open mind and a strong social conscience as they navigated their careers.

“Not everything you have been told is right, and not everything that you have learned is all you have to know. You now have to begin to live life,” Sinclair said. “You now have to begin to put in practice some of those things that you know inherently is the right thing to do, using the information that you have gathered. That is your challenge.”

Sinclair's family said a sacred fire has been lit outside the Manitoba Legislative Building to mark his passing, according to APTN News.

Read the Globe and Mail story

Read the CBC News story

Read the APTN News story

Read the U of T News story about Murray Sinclair’s honorary degree

#UofTGrad16: �ؿ�ζSM gears up for convocation

lanthierj — Wed, 25 May 2016 20:14:46 +0000

#UofTGrad16: �ؿ�ζSM gears up for convocation

lanthierj Wed, 05/25/2016 - 16:14

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A graduating student from Class of 2015 takes a photo with U of T's chancellor, Michael Wilson (photo by Ken Jones)

Jennifer Robinson

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Jennifer Robinson

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More than 18,000 of the world’s newest great minds are set to graduate from the �ؿ�ζSM, Canada’s top internationally-ranked university, this year – 13,500 alone during spring convocation, running May 31 to June 16

Among those expected to cross the stage at Convocation Hall are: three Rhodes scholars, dental surgeons, architects, musicians and opera singers, pharmacists, philosophers, medical doctors, lawyers and engineers.

They will be joined by 10 honorary degree recipients representing the best in their fields, including: Dick Pound, founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); international mathematical superstar Professor Manjul Bhargava and Toronto International Film Festival CEO Piers Handling.

As they cross the stage to receive their diplomas at the historic Convocation Hall, they will be cheered on by more than 28,000 family and friends who have come to Toronto from all corners of the globe to celebrate their accomplishments.

See the full schedule of #UofTGrad16 convocation ceremonies

“The �ؿ�ζSM is incredibly proud of our newest graduates — the class of 2016! They are more than 18,000 strong from 161 countries, countless communities across Ontario and Canada. They are ready to take on the world’s biggest challenges,” said U of T president Meric Gertler.

“We’d also like to recognize and thank the communities of the GTA for embracing our graduates while providing them with a dynamic, diverse and friendly home during their studies at U of T. You’ve helped build their experiences and shape their world view. Now, they’ll have the opportunity to build up our communities and cities around the world with what they’ve learned here.”

In total, 25 ceremonies will be held over 13 days at Convocation Hall – where all U of T convocations have taken place for more than a hundred years – for students graduating from the university’s three campuses in downtown Toronto, Scarborough and Mississauga.

The largest ceremony will be in the afternoon on June 13 when more than 610 attending students will receive their bachelor degrees in the arts and sciences.

Three ceremonies will be held on June 2 for 1,647 students from the �ؿ�ζSM Scarborough campus, followed by three ceremonies on June 6 for 1,855 students from the �ؿ�ζSM Mississauga campus.

Quick facts on U of T spring convocation 2016:

3 Rhodes scholars (James Flynn of St. John’s, NL, Kaleem Hawa of Edmonton and Jessica Phillips of Hong Kong)
8 parade marshals dressed in scarlet gowns to help students line up properly for ceremony
10 honorary degree recipients: Dick Pound (June 2); Gerry Schwartz (June 3); Professor Robert Putnam (June 7); M.G. Venkatesh Mannar and Professor Cynthia Barnhart (June 8); Professor Manjul Bhargava (June 9); the Hon. James Bartleman (June 10); Piers Handling (June 13); Linda Schuyler (June 14); and Professor David Schindler (June 16)
12 weeks spent preparing the 13,500 parchments (diplomas) for the Class of 2016, from labelling and stuffing envelope to triple-checking that names and degrees are correct
12 weeks since anyone was allowed to walk across the Convocation Plaza lawn, which is being readied for its time in the spotlight
25 individual ceremonies held over 13 days
59+ age range between oldest graduate (79) and youngest graduates (20) at spring convocation
40 trained volunteer readers reading out the names of more than 10,500 attending graduates
75+ different types of hoods symbolizing different degrees worn by graduates and academic officials
340 doctoral degrees awarded at spring convocation
1,086 professional degrees such as pharmacists, medical doctors and lawyers
2,539 master’s degrees awarded at spring convocation
9,804 bachelor degrees awarded at spring convocation
13,500 expected graduates, with more than 10,500 in attendance
14,000+ rental academic gowns worn by students, faculty and staff
28,385 guest tickets
500,000-plus U of T alumni worldwide

Fall convocation for the Class of 2016 will be held November 7 - 11, 2016.