Who We Are

Four Questions For a Life and a Nation

By: Murray Sinclair, Sara Sinclair, Niigaan Sinclair

Narrated by: Murray Sinclair, Niigaan Sinclair, Shelagh Rogers

Named a Book to Read This Fall by CBC Books and the Toronto Star • One of Indigo’s Most Anticipated Books

Judge, senator, and activist. Father, grandfather, and friend. This is Murray Sinclair’s story—and the story of a nation—in his own words, an oral history that forgoes the trappings of the traditionally written memoir to center Indigenous ways of knowledge and storytelling. As Canada moves forward into the future of Reconciliation, one of its greatest leaders guides us to ask the most important and difficult question we can ask of ourselves: Who are we?

For decades, Senator Sinclair has fearlessly educated Canadians about the painful truths of our history. He was the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba, and only the second Indigenous judge in Canadian history. He was the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and remains one of the foremost voices on Reconciliation. And now, for the first time, he shares his full story—and his full vision for our nation—with readers across Canada and beyond.

Drawing on Senator Sinclair’s perspectives regarding Indigenous identity, human rights, and justice, Who We Are examines the roles of history, resistance, and resilience in the pursuit of finding a path forward, one that heals the damaged relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. In doing so, it reveals Senator Sinclair’s life in a new and direct way, exploring how all of these unique experiences have shaped him as an Anishinaabe man, father, and grandfather.

Structured around the four questions that have long shaped Senator Sinclair’s thinking and worldview—Where do I come from? Where am I going? Why am I here? Who am I?—Who We Are takes listeners into the story of his remarkable life as never before, while challenging them to embrace an inclusive vision for our shared future.

The book includes the What We Have Learned report, created by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC).

©2024 Murray Sinclair (P)2024 McClelland & Stewart

Critic reviews

Named a Book to Read This Fall by CBC Books and the Toronto Star • One of Indigo’s Most Anticipated Books

“Who We Are is a very special, very important book. With deep humility, surprising humour, and abiding humanity—all the 'humes,' if you will—Murray Sinclair made me feel as though I was sitting beside him at a campfire, listening to stories and teachings from his most remarkable life. I could hear his voice. I could feel the fire. I could imagine a better world. But Murray Sinclair asks us to do more than imagine it. By sharing with unflinching honesty what shaped him as a visionary leader, he calls us to change the world, to make it better for each new generation, and to honour the sacredness of Creation. I will return to Who We Are again and again, for his stories, his soulful poems, and his guidance. This book, so much about understanding where we have come from, is a gift to where we are going.”
—Shelagh Rogers, O.C., Chancellor of Queen’s University and Honorary Witness in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

“It would be impossible to quantify Murray Sinclair’s impact on this place that we call Canada. He’s said that since education got us into this mess, education must get us out of it. If that’s true, and I believe it is, he is one of our most important teachers. The pursuit of reconciliation takes place on a long and winding road. It will take generations to reach our destination, but this book and Sinclair’s voice will stand the test of time, guiding us in his wisdom and the example he has set in how he has lived his life.”
—David A. Robertson, bestselling author of the Misewa Saga Series

“This book is a testament to, and reflects the legacy of, a life of service, leadership, and resilience. There are lessons we can all take from these reflections on a life’s journey, and on the journey of Canada.”
—Jody Wilson-Raybould, bestselling author of True Reconciliation and ‘Indian’ in the Cabinet

Required reading for all Canadians

Provides the personal biography of the lead commissioner of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, by answering the four questions he recommends people should endeavour to answer for themselves. Also provides the report of the commission, which resulted from years of open consultations with survivors of, and participants in, the residential school system across Canada. The final report has clearly been informed by the personal history and beliefs of the author and his co-commissioners.

I found the consultative process, allowing wide participation, and accepting each person's truth, without judgement or debate, to be a revelation - and can see how this approach should be used more often to help our society deal with difficult issues and sensitive tradeoffs.

The final report itself is an incredible broad, yet highly accessible body of work, which fully explains the history I WASN'T TAUGHT as a child. It has helped me understand the roots of what became an explicit government policy of cultural genocide, beginning at the time Canada was formed, when colonial settlement proceeded without respecting the voices of the indigenous peoples, whose links to and knowledge of the land predated confederation by hundreds, nay, thousands of years.

The book should be viewed as both a explanation of our country's untold history, and a call to action to all people living in our land to assist in the healing and reconciliation process - and hold governments, churches and all Canadians to account for their part in this heart-wrenching part of our history.

We will all gain if you read/listen, reflect, and also become an agent of change for the better - such is desperately needed in this country and - indeed - the world.