Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe professor, writer and activist from Peguis First Nation, on the stage at the Marigold Cultural Centre during his keynote address. Photo by Aidan Rawding /Truro NewsArticle contentTRURO – What does reconciliation mean to you?THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentFor Niigaan Sinclair, an Anishinaabe professor, writer, and activist from Peguis First Nation, part of the meaning is that it is a relational endeavour.Article contentArticle content“It’s about engaging people in conversations in ways of living, and the fact that we’re all in this together,” said Sinclair, talking about what role community plays in reconciliation.Article contentArticle contentIt will always involve not just communities working together, he continued, but the entire country thinking of itself as a community, or a village. In fact, Canada can be traced to the Huron-Iroquois word ‘Kanata’, which means village.Article content“It doesn’t mean pipeline, or leave people behind, or millions of dollars,” he continued, “it means that we’re all in this together, and we have to think of ourselves as all in this together.”Article contentThis was part of Sinclair’s message at the Marigold Cultural Centre on Nov. 6, where he delivered a keynote called ‘Reconciliation IS for Everyone’.Article contentSinclair is a professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, as well as a weekly columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press. His commentary has also appeared in media platforms such as the CBC and APTN.Article contentHe has received accolades for his work, including Canadian Columnist of the Year from the National Newspaper Awards in 2018, and in 2024, the Governor General Award for Non-Fiction for his first book ‘Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre’.Article contentArticle contentHis father, the late Murray Sinclair, was Manitoba’s first Indigenous judge and the second in the country. He was also chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and a former senator.Article contentIn 2022, the father and son were recognized on Maclean’s Power List, which annually features the most influential people in Canada.Article contentSPEAKING ABOUT RECONCILIATIONArticle contentTruro is far from the first community that Sinclair has visited to engage in conversations about the topic of reconciliation. The impact of his father’s leadership is part of what motivates him to do so.Article content“It’s hard not to see the evidence in the work of my father, that this is working,” he said.Article content“He saw the power of visiting, and the power of taking the extra step to spend time with people.”Article content In his keynote ‘Reconciliation IS for Everyone’, Sinclair used a mixture of history and anecdotes to give the audience food for thought about reconciliation in Canada. Photo by Aidan Rawding /Truro NewsArticle contentThere’s something to be said about seeing this impact in a classroom, a boardroom, or a concert hall, like the Marigold, he continued.
All in this together: Niigaan Sinclair talks reconciliation in Truro
