Kimberly Murray to receive Honorary Doctorate at Lincoln Alexander Law's inaugural Convocation Ceremony

Kimberly Murray will be recognized with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa from Toronto Metropolitan University. The honorary doctorate will be bestowed at the inaugural convocation ceremony for the Lincoln Alexander School of Law.

Kimberly Murray is among 10 notable figures receiving TMU honorary doctorates this June. Honorary degrees are the highest honour conferred by the university and are awarded to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to academia, culture, and/or society.

Ms. Murray is a member of the Kahnesatake Mohawk Nation. From 1995 to 2010, she was a Staff Lawyer and then Executive Director of Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto. Later, as Executive Director of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Ms. Murray worked to ensure that survivors of Canada’s Indian residential school system were heard and remembered, and she promoted reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Ms. Murray was the first person to serve as Ontario’s Assistant Deputy Attorney General for Indigenous Justice. She also chaired the Expert Panel on Policing in Indigenous Communities, which produced the report Toward Peace, Harmony and Well-Being: Policing in Indigenous Communities.

In 2022, Ms. Murray was appointed the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. She previously served as Executive Lead for the Survivors’ Secretariat at the Six Nations of the Grand River, working to recover the missing children and unmarked burials at the Mohawk Institute Residential School.

Ms. Murray has received numerous awards during her career, including a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Law and Justice. Additionally, in honour of her many achievements, she has been granted the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel designation from the Indigenous Bar Association. Most recently, Ms. Murray was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration.

We look forward to honouring Ms. Murray's exceptional contributions and impact on Indigenous communities and beyond at our convocation ceremony in June.