J.O. Michel Maisonneuve

Lieutenant-General J.O. Michel Maisonneuve, CMM, MSC, CD is a former Canadian Army officer who has served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada and Chief of Staff of NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk.[1] He is also the 30th recipient of the Vimy Award.[2]

J.O. Michel Maisonneuve
AllegianceCanada
Service/branchCanadian Army
Years of service1972-2007
RankLieutenant-General
Battles/warsUnited Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
Bosnian War
Kosovo War
AwardsCommander of the Order of Military Merit
Meritorious Service Cross
Canadian Forces' Decoration

Education

Maisonneuve obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1976 and later he graduated with a Masters in Management and Defence Policy from the Royal Military College of Canada.[3]

Military career

Maisonneuve joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1972 as an armoured officer and after graduating from Royal Military College of Canada, he would be a part of 12e Régiment blindé du Canada out of Valcartier. He would be deployed to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and later the Bosnian War and Kosovo War. During his time in Kosovo he was assigned to Headquarters of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a Brigadier-General from November 1998 to May 1999 where he would later be awarded a Meritorious Service Cross for his service.[4][5]

He would later serve as Assistant Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff of Canada and Chief of Staff of NATO's Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk.

In 2007 he would retire from the CAF and became the Academic Director at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean.

Honours and decorations

National Awards/Decorations

Other Awards

Controversy

On November 9, 2022, Maisonneuve delivered an acceptance speech[8] for the Vimy Award at a gala hosted by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute. The speech was broadly critical of many progressive aspects of society and the direction of Canada's military. In subsequent reporting, Youri Cormier, executive director of the Conference of Defence Associations and CDA Institute noted that "many attendees were offended by LGen (ret’d) Maisonneuve’s speech. His remarks do not reflect those of the CDA Institute."[9] The speech was also publicly criticized by the Minister of National Defence, Anita Anand,[10] and the Canadian Armed Forces' Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC).[11]

However, he was invited to speak as a keynote speaker by the Conservative Party of Canada at their policy convention on 7 September 2023 and once again received applause from delegates after endorsing Pierre Poilievre at said speech.

Legacy

The Maisonneuve Bursaries and Shield Award at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean is named in his honour; it is awarded to the two 1st year Officer Cadets with the highest academic averages in Social Sciences and Sciences.

References
  1. "RMCSJ BoG Profiles". e-Veritas. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  2. "Congratulations to Lieutenant-General (ret'd) J.O. Michel Maisonneuve for being selected as the 30th Anniversary Vimy Award Laureate! - Veterans Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence". www.veteranschronicpain.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  3. Bruneau, Rejean (2018-05-07). "RMC Online Testimonials". www.rmc-cmr.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  4. "Michel Maisonneuve | Senior Defence Associate | Samuel Associates". www.samuel.associates. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  5. General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "Major-General Joseph Omer Michel Maisonneuve". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  6. "J.O. Michel Maisonneuve, CMM, MSC, CD - Veterans Chronic Pain Centre of Excellence". www.veteranschronicpain.ca. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  7. "F O R E I G N M I L I T A R Y A W A R D S t o C A N A D I A N S C FOREIGN MILITARY - PDF Free Download". docplayer.net. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  8. J.O. Michel Maisonneuve (2022-11-17). "'Making Canada better': An excerpt from the anti-woke speech by a general that caused an uproar". National Post. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
  9. Pugliese, David (2022-11-15). "Retired general's speech slamming Canada's climate change policies, cancel culture and weak leaders applauded by officers". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  10. Anita Anand [@AnitaAnandMP] (November 15, 2022). "Let's be clear: building an inclusive and diverse military is not just the right thing to do, it is also essential to our security. Canada needs a military that can attract and retain talent from across society. Suggestions otherwise do not reflect the needs of a modern military" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture [@CPCC_CCPC] (November 15, 2022). "A debate of ideas is healthy–we are grateful to live in a democracy where people are free to express opinions. We recognise LGen(ret'd) Maisonneuve's 5 decades of service to Canada but we also fundamentally disagree with statements made during this year's Vimy Gala in Ottawa" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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