Brigadier-General P.F.A. Demers, OMM, MSC, CD

Chief of Staff Army Strategy

BGen André Demers, a native of Sherbrooke, Quebec, joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a reservist with the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada in 1986. In 1991, he decided to join the Regular Force as an Infantry Officer with the Royal 22e Régiment.

His first regimental posting was to 2nd Batallion, Royal 22e Régiment from 1991 to 1994, where he served as rifle platoon commander and as assistant operations officer. During this period, he also served as Liaison Officer with UNPROFOR in Srebrenica and Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina and subsequently served as military observer during the Rwandan Civil War. He was awarded a Mention in Dispatch for his performance under fire during the operation.

In 1995, BGen Demers was posted to the Land Force Quebec Area’s G3 cell, as G3 International Tasks; then, he served as aide-de-camp to the Area Commander. In 1997, he returned to Valcartier to join 1 Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment. He held various positions within the unit from pioneer platoon commander to battalion second-in-command. During this period, he also served with the NATO led Stabilization Force in Bosnia and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

During the summer of 2005, BGen Demers was posted to Ottawa to serve with the National Defence Headquarters Secretariat (NDHQ), as Assistant to the Armed Forces Council and as Executive Assistant to the COS of the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff Group.

In 2006, he was selected as Canadian candidate for the United State Marines Corps (USMC) Command and Staff College course in Quantico, Virginia, USA, where he earned his Master’s degree in Defence Studies. In 2007, he started a second year with the USMC and went to the School of Advanced Warfighting, obtaining a second Master’s degree in Operational Art.

Following Staff College, he served with the Land Force’s G3 Cell, as G35 Plans until he assumed command of 3rd Battalion, Royal 22e Régiment, on September 4, 2008. He had the honour of commanding the 3 R22eR Battle Group on OP HESTIA in Haiti. In June 2010, he was posted to Ottawa and performed various functions on the Strategic Joint Staff before being posted in 2012 to the Army HQ as Director, Land Force Development.

Promoted Colonel in May 2013, he was deployed with the UN to the Democratic Republic of Congo as Task Force Commander of Op CROCODILE where he received a Meritorious Service Cross for his actions against Illegal Armed Groups in the Eastern DRC. He returned to Canada in July 2014 and held the position of Director, Peacekeeping Policy. In September 2016, he became the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group Commander. In 2018, following his formation command he attended the National Security Program.

In May 2019 he was promoted Brigadier General and assumed the duties of Director General Defence Security.

Brigadier General Demers and his wife, are the proud parents of two children.