The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) has announced that Justice Murray Sinclair will be the recipient of the 2024 RAIC Gold Medal.
The RAIC Gold Medal is an award that represents the highest honour for a significant contribution to Canadian architecture. The award also recognizes excellence in design, research, education, expertise, public presence, sustainability, social justice, and commitment to future architects.
Sinclair was the chair of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This role exposed historical injustices and systemic structures that treated Indigenous people as less than human.
His dedication and leadership in promoting truth and reconciliation, dismantling colonial relationships, and advocating for the rights of Canada’s founding peoples have had an important impact on the Canadian architectural landscape, both in present and in the future.
“The RAIC acknowledges the profound connection of Canada’s colonial history and its impact on First Nations. To promote reconciliation, the RAIC instituted the Indigenous Task Force in 2016 and the Truth & Reconciliation Task Force in 2020,” says Jason Robbins, President, RAIC. “Honoring Murray Sinclair with the 2024 RAIC Gold Medal reflects the profession’s recognition of architecture’s transformative power in promoting reconciliation, social justice, and a more inclusive built environment.”
Sinclair was born and raised on the former St. Peters Indian Reserve North of Selkirk, Manitoba. In 1980, he was called to the Manitoba Bar and focused on civil and criminal litigation, Indigenous Law, and Human Rights.
In 1988, Sinclair became Manitoba’s first, and Canada’s second, Indigenous judge. That year, he also served alongside the Associate Chief Justice as Co-commissioner of the Public Inquiry into the Administration of Justice and Aboriginal Peoples of Manitoba. In 1995, he was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench.
In 2009, Sinclair was appointed to Chair the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada into Indian Residential Schools (TRC). In 2016, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada as an Independent Senator, where he continues to advocate for various important issues.
“Sinclair’s unwavering commitment to truth and reconciliation, as exemplified in his role with the TRC, signifies a commitment to dismantling colonial relationships, fostering spatial justice, and advocating for the rights of Canada’s founding peoples,” writes the RAIC’s Board of Directors. “His legal career, witnessing the dismantling of residential schools and envisioning a better future, epitomizes qualities of empathy, forgiveness, and communication aligning with the RAIC’s evolving values.”