March 2020 - Office of the Judge Advocate General - Commodore Geneviève Bernatchez, OMM, CD

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Biography

  • Commodore Bernatchez was appointed as the 15th Judge Advocate General (JAG) by the Governor-in-Council on June 27th, 2017 and is the first woman appointed to the role.
  • She enrolled in the Naval Reserve in 1987, where she served as a naval warfare officer. In 1997, she transferred to the Regular Force and joined the Office of the JAG.
  • She previously deployed with the Canadian Air Component during the Kosovo conflict in 1999.

Mandate

  • The JAG reports to and is responsible to the Minister in the performance of her duties and functions. The JAG acts as legal adviser to the Governor General, the
  • Minister, the Department and the Canadian Forces in matters relating to military law, including military justice, operational and international law as well as administrative law.
  • The JAG is responsible for the superintendence of the administration of military justice in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).

Key facts

Total CAF Members & DND Employees:

  • 350

Budget:

  • $10.7M

Primary location(s):

  • National Capital Region
  • Halifax
  • Montreal
  • Toronto
  • Winnipeg
  • Edmonton
  • Victoria
  • Colorado Springs (USA), and
  • Geilenkirchen (Germany).

Key Partners

Internal:

  • DND/Canadian Forces Legal Advisor
  • All Defence Team. JAG is also a member of Armed Forces Council and Defence Management Committee.

External:

  • Department of Justice
  • Privy Council Office
  • Global Affairs Canada
  • Communication Security Establishment
  • Canadian Security and Intelligence Service
  • International Committee of the Red Cross
  • Canadian Red Cross
  • JAGs of the Five Eyes Community.

Top issues for Judge Advocate General

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