The Frank McKenna Centre for Leadership is very pleased to announce that Chief Perry Bellegarde will deliver the 2026 McKenna Lecture on March 25, 2026, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Schwartz Auditorium. In this Lecture, entitled “What I learned from the Old People— Lessons in Leadership for a World Crisis” Chief Bellegarde asks the question, who do our leaders listen to? Perry Bellegarde is a former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and a nationally and internationally recognized advocate for sustainable development. His journey as a First Nations leader began on the backroads of Saskatchewan, spending time with Elders throughout Treaty 4 territory. He believes that the wisdom they shared could benefit the whole world. Today, as global society becomes more polarized, and with the first impacts of the climate emergency already being felt, Chief Bellegarde says we need leaders willing to make space for voices and perspectives that have been ignored and silenced for far too long.
