While a private member of the legislature, Henderson brought forward a private member's bills on several topics. One such bill, Bill 95, which received first reading in 1988, would have amended the Children's Law Reform Act, to create a presumption of joint custody for parents in the event of a divorce, absent evidence of harm to the children, and required mandatory mediation of custody disputes. In another, which received first reading in 1987, would have allowed individuals to request anonymous HIV testing by amending the mandatory reporting requirements in the Health Protection and Promotion Act. He also proposed a private member's bill to give members greater freedom to take positions consistent with their constituent's views and individual perspective. In 1997, he wrote favourably in "The Globe and Mail" of a meeting he had had with Fidel Castro several years earlier.