Inaugural Chancellor Emeritus Murray Sinclair Commemorative Lecture and Portrait Unveiling

Date

Wednesday January 14, 2026
10:30 am - 1:30 pm

Location

Grant Hall

Join us to honour the profound legacy of former Chancellor and Senator Mazina Giizhik Murray Sinclair. The event, hosted by Chancellor Shelagh Rogers, will feature the unveiling of Kent Monkman’s painting of Chancellor Emeritus Sinclair and keynote lectures exploring his enduring impact on truth and reconciliation, education, and justice. Admission is free, and all are welcome. Registration is required in advance for in-person attendance only.

Parking: Restrictions on campus surface lots will not be enforced during business hours on January 14. For more information about other parking options on and near campus, see the Visit Queen's webpage.

Man wearing traditional Indigenous attire, including a fur hat and embroidered sache.

This event will also be livestreamed and recorded. Following the event, the recording will be made publicly available on the Principal's Office YouTube channel.

Access the Livestream

Program

Doors open at 10:30 am, program to begin at 11 am

Opening in a Good Way – Te ho wis kwûnt Allen Doxtator

Welcome – Shelagh Rogers

Introductory remarks - Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane

Keynote – “Ten Lessons from Commissioner Dad” – Niigaan Sinclair

During his final speech at the TRC final event, Lead Commissioner Murray Sinclair remarked that his only regret was that he spent so much time away from his family. Come hear a brief talk on why and a reflection on the legacy of Murray Sinclair-iban.

Keynote – “Legacies, Lingering” - Dr. Danielle Lussier

Dr. Lussier will share reflections – from her perspective as a mum, teacher, and Queen’s community member – on relationships, reconciliation, and legacies that linger.

Portrait by Kent Monkman unveiling

Closing in a Good Way- Te ho wis kwûnt Allen Doxtator

Reception

Man with light brown hair, wearing a light blue button up with indigenous beadwork on the left side, in front of a wheat field.

Niigaan Sinclair

Niigaan Sinclair is an Anishinaabe writer, editor, professor, and activist based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

oman with brown hair, wearing a black shirt and big square glasses, smiling in front of a black backdrop.

Danielle Lussier

Dr. Danielle Lussier, Red River Métis and a citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation, was born and raised in the Homeland of the Métis Nation on Treaty 1 Territory. She is a beadworker and mum to three young people, and she currently serves as Queen’s National Scholar and Chair in Indigenous Knowledges and Perspectives at Queen’s University.

Woman with white hair, wearing long dangling earrings and wide square glasses, smiling.