May 27, 2021
The Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada is pleased to announce that George E. Lafond, a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Saskatchewan and a former treaty commissioner for the province, has accepted an invitation to join its advisory board. Now living in Victoria, British Columbia, Mr. Lafond is a respected advisor to both Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations.
On accepting the appointment, he said, “As a father of four children, I am extremely concerned about their world and the world they will inherit, which is why I’m pleased to join Institute for the Study of the Crown in Canada, that affirms ‘we are all treaty people’.”
The Institute thanks Dr. Signa Daum Shanks, who is stepping down from the advisory board, for her three years of service.
George Lafond, SOM (Victoria)
George Lafond’s professional life has been shaped by four decades of a public service career as a trusted advisor to federal, provincial, civic, and tribal governments. His experience has been sought by private and public companies to create community-based partnerships promoting positive outcomes for Indigenous peoples in education and employment. This involves a complex array of legal and cultural issues that give strategic direction to collaborative partnerships and support mutual benefits between the partners.
George Lafond is a Cree citizen of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation. He has served as a Tribal Leader to the Saskatoon Tribal Council and as Saskatchewan’s Treaty Commissioner. He serves on numerous boards of for-profit and non-profit organizations. He was appointed to the Saskatchewan Order of Merit in 2016.