Former leader of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission joins IITC speaker lineup March 8-10, 2023
Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), (Vancouver, BC) – The Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC) is pleased to announce the Honourable Murray Sinclair will be one of the keynote speakers at this year’s annual International Indigenous Tourism Conference (IITC). The 2023 conference is being hosted in Treaty 1 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from March 8 – 10, 2023.
This year’s conference theme is “Adventure to Understanding,” bringing together Indigenous cultures and their unique stories, inviting Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to start to work together in a good way when it comes to reconciliation. This year, the conference will also honour Orange Shirt Day, opening the conversation about residential schools and reconciliation.
Senator Murray Sinclair was the first Indigenous Judge appointed in Manitoba and Canada’s second overall. He is best known for his work serving as Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba and as the Chief Commissioner of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) where he participated in hundreds of hearings across Canada, culminating as the TRC’s widely influential report in 2015.
Senator Sinclair spent 40 years working in the justice system in Manitoba, first as a lawyer representing Indigenous clients, as an Adjunct Professor of Law at Robson Hall, as Associate Chief Judge of Manitoba’s Provincial Court, and as a Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench. He is Anishinaabe and a member of the Peguis First Nation.
“We are incredibly honoured to have such an iconic figure encourage and uplift our delegates this March,” shares Keith Henry, President and CEO of ITAC. “The Honourable Murray Sinclair has paved the way for truth and reconciliation efforts in Canada and can guide us forward.”
Senator Murray Sinclair will join Pania Tyson-Nathan, CEO of NZ Māori Tourism on the roster of IITC speakers. For more information on the 2023 IITC, and to register, visit IndigenousTourismConference.com.