By Bryan Eneas

PAGC officially welcomes eighth senator

Oct 24, 2017 | 10:00 AM

While the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) awaits the election of a new grand chief, another name has joined the ranks.

Noland Henderson, from the Montreal Lake Cree Nation took his vows and was officially sworn in as the eighth PAGC senator, Oct. 23. Senators act as advisors to leaders and communities within the Grand Council.

The new senator opened up the Annual Assembly saying accountability and transparency are important topics for discussion within Indigenous communities.

“As First Nations, like any other administration, we are starting to handle a lot of money,” Henderson said. “That flow of money is important… to maximize the dollar for the community, that’s what it’s all about.”

Henderson told leaders to include past and retired leaders in on-going discussions.

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“When you’re talking about people that have the experience, you can’t replace that experience,” Henderson said. “If you harness that experience, I think there’s benefits to any organization.”

Henderson said he’s focused his work in Montreal Lake. He started as a band councillor responsible for education before returning to school himself.

He left Montreal Lake for a period of two years to join the RCMP, where he served the communities of Punnichy and Shellbrook before returning home at the encouragement of then-chief Roy Bird. Henderson himself served as chief of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation for three terms of five years each.

The PAGC is comprised of 12 nations, of which eight have representation in the organization’s senate. Henderson said the hope is to have a senator assigned from each nation. 

“As a senate, there are processes and procedures in place at this point,” Henderson said. “In terms of a senator, one of the things we will always do is review where we’re at in terms of positioning ourselves, and to make sure that positioning is good and very strategic for us.”

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas