The province has a new Treaty Commissioner.

George Lafond, a former chief of the Saskatoon Tribal Council, has been selected to head up the office.

He was named to the post this week by Aboriginal Affairs Minister John Duncan.

In a release, Lafond says he believes treaties provide the framework for peace and friendship and a more just and respectful future for children.

In addition to his duties as tribal chief, Lafond also served as a special assistant to the Minister of Indian Affairs in the mid-1980s and early ’90s.

He was also a member of a three-member panel that recently examined First Nations education across the country.