Balkans35 Patron : Lieutenant General (retd) J.O. Michel Maisonneuve, CMM, MSC, CD

Lieutenant-General  (retd) J.O. MICHEL MAISONNEUVE, CMM, MSC, CD

Michel Maisonneuve completed 35 years of active service in the Canadian Armed Forces in May 2007. An armour officer from 12e RBC, he served in many locales throughout Canada and for a total of 10 years outside the country on operational missions and international positions, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant-General. Along the way, his exemplary service was recognized by awards from Canada, the U.S., France and NATO.

His first mission in the Balkans was as a Colonel with the UN as Chief of Operations for UNPROFOR from March 1993 to March 1994. Highlights of his demanding tour include the creation of six UN Safe Zones in theatre; the Medak Pocket operation where he drafted the withdrawal agreement that was eventually signed then was sent by the Force Commander to supervise the operation; and the set up of the NATO Exclusion Zone around Sarajevo.

Five years later, he was deployed as a BGen with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM), first as Head of the KVM Support Unit, then as Head of the first Regional Centre in Prizren, and finally, when the KVM was evacuated from Kosovo, as Head of the KVM Refugee Task Force in Albania, helping coordinate the support for refugees being pushed from Kosovo by the Serb authorities. At that time, he and his team were taking refugee statements on their treatment, which eventually led to the indictment of Slobodan Milosevic by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Maisonneuve testified in The Hague against Milosevic, commanded the funeral for the Unknown Soldier in Ottawa in 2000 and was the last Chief of Staff of NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Atlantic in Norfolk, VA, USA and the first Chief of Staff of Supreme Allied Command Transformation. After his service in uniform, he continued to serve Canada as the first Academic Director (Principal) of Royal Military College Saint-Jean on its re-opening in December 2007, and for more than 10 years afterwards, where he succeeded in returning the College to university status.

He was named the 30th laureate of the Vimy Award in 2022 for his exceptional contribution to Canada’s security and defence, and the preservation of its democratic values. On that occasion he gave a rousing speech that gained him the moniker “The Anti-Woke General” and upset some left-wing media and academics. A native and bilingual Quebecer, Maisonneuve is passionate about Veterans and serving military personnel, the preservation of Canada’s proud history, the importance of volunteerism, leadership and service in our country, and the freedom and willingness to participate in its development. His book, “In Defence of Canada: Reflections of a Patriot” was published in October 2024.