What started out as a joke has turned into a lecture series for Ovide Mercredi, former Grand Chief of First Nations.

After delivering the wildly successful first Mahatma Gandhi Lecture on Non-violence in 1997, Mercredi, who was ending his second term as chief, joked that he would soon be looking for another job. The Faculty of Humanities began negotiations for him to become a visiting professor at McMaster.

The 53-year-old lawyer was on campus earlier this month. He will be back again during the weeks of Feb. 7 and March 27 to speak on Canadian history, politics and government, indigenous studies and non-violence. On Feb. 7, he will present a public lecture on Canadian Democracy: A Cree Perspective at 7:30 p.m. in HSC-1A1.

Mark Vorobej, professor of religious studies and director of the Centre for Peace Studies, says “Mercredi brings a message of hope and optimism to which Canadian youth need to be exposed. I'm thrilled that he'll be engaged in a thoughtful and critical dialogue with hundreds of McMaster students.”