For Staff Sergeant Jane Boissonneault, the dream of becoming a Mountie began at the age of ten. What she could not have imagined was how that ambition would carry her far beyond Canada’s borders, placing her at the forefront of global stabilization efforts and gender-sensitive police reform.
Over a 33-year career, Boissonneault demonstrated how policing, diplomacy, and mentorship intersect, showing that women are essential contributors to international security and the protection of vulnerable populations.
A pioneer in the operational acceptance of RCMP women on United Nations (UN) missions — and later in the institutional recognition of women peacekeepers — she helped normalize women’s participation in peacekeeping operations.
Her international service began in 2001 with the UN mission in East Timor (UNTAET). At a time when women remained a small proportion of uniformed personnel in overseas deployments, Boissonneault joined early deployments of women police officers in the post-conflict environment of Southeast Asia.
She established a Missing Persons Unit in the Ermera District and later led the National Vulnerable Persons Unit at UN Civilian Police Headquarters in Dili.
Her mentorship there had a lasting impact. She guided Maria, a graduate of the new East Timorese Police Service, through early challenges in a culture resistant to female authority. Years later, at a UN conference in Italy, Boissonneault learned Maria had risen to senior rank and credited that mentorship as pivotal to her career, reinforcing Boissonneault’s belief that representation reshapes policing culture worldwide.
In 2011, she again broke ground during the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). As Focal Point for Gender and Sexual Violence and Stabilization Coordinator for Security Sector Reform in North Kivu, she worked in zones emerging from militia control to restore governance structures and strengthen protections for all Congolese people, especially women, in conflict zones.
She was later seconded to UN Headquarters in New York as a Police Advisor to the Office of the Special Coordinator, where she helped advance the UN’s response to sexual exploitation and abuse — one of the most pressing accountability challenges in modern peacekeeping.
Domestically, Boissonneault’s RCMP career was equally varied. She served in Federal Commercial Crime in Saskatchewan, National Missing Children Operations, and in the role of Canada’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse Manager while chairing the National AMBER Alert Working Group. Her ability to move from complex fraud and anti-corruption investigations in Montreal to Aide-de-camp to the Yukon Commissioner reflected both versatility and trust in her leadership.
In 2025, she received the Canadian Peacekeeping Veterans Association’s Outstanding Service Award and was selected as Peacekeeper of the Year — marking a milestone in recognition for both RCMP members and women in peacekeeping roles. After retiring in February 2026, she hopes to continue contributing to peacekeeping legacy initiatives, including the PK75 Anthology Project.
Boissonneault views her gender as an operational advantage, enabling connection with people in crisis beyond traditional policing approaches. Her advice to young women remains simple: “Do it. You will never find a career more varied and rewarding.”
Boissonneault was nominated by Brigadier-General (Retired) Gregory B. Mitchell.
