REEL CANADA presents a special online screening of Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair, in memory of the renowned Anishinaabe senator and lawyer who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
First, watch director Alanis Obomsawin (Abenaki)’s commentary about the senator from an interactive livestream for schools presented as part of National Canadian Film Day 2024, hosted by Kelly Boutsalis (Mohawk).
Enjoy this online presentation of Honour to Senator Murray Sinclair.
As the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Senator Murray Sinclair was a key figure in raising global awareness of the atrocities of Canada’s residential school system. Obomsawin blends Senator Sinclair’s thought-provoking acceptance speech from his WFM-Canada World Peace Award with powerful testimonies of survivors of the residential school system.
With determination, wisdom and kindness, Senator Sinclair provides a clear and nuanced explanation of the residential school system and its profound ongoing impacts, and asserts that actual reconciliation requires accepting these difficult truths about Canada’s past and present. The film reminds us to honour the lives and legacies of those affected, lays out avenues for real change, and ultimately leaves us with a profound feeling of hope for a better future.
Many of the 15,000 students who watched the livestream wrote to Senator Sinclair to express their heartfelt reactions. One student was moved to say, “Thank you Senator Murray Sinclair for playing a large role in my learning. I believe you can best take action by speaking out and not being a bystander…This film and you impacted me greatly. This is because my grandmother was in residential school herself. Seeing you educate youth and others gives me great hope.”