Gwenneth (Gwen) M. Boniface (born August 5, 1955) is a Canadian politician who serves as a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

since November 10, 2016, sitting as a member of the

Independent Senators Group The Independent Senators Group (ISG; ) is a parliamentary group in the Senate of Canada. Established on March 10, 2016, the Independent Senators Group is committed to a non-partisan Senate and the modernization of the Upper House of Canada's Parli ...

(ISG). A former lawyer and police officer, she was the

commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police The commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police () is the professional head of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of the OPP operations. Thomas Carrique has been the 15th ...

(OPP) from 1998 to 2006. Boniface was appointed to the Senate was announced by

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau (born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament ...

on October 31, 2016. Boniface is the first woman to serve as OPP commissioner.

Education

Boniface earned a Certificate in Law and Security Administration from

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...

in 1977. She earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

in 1982 and a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

degree at

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

in 1988.

Career

Boniface joined the OPP in 1977 as a provincial constable before being called to the bar in 1990. Boniface was Superintendent-Director of the OPP in the First Nations and Contract Policing Branch from 1993 to 1995. Boniface served in the Law Commission of Canada from 1997 to 2002. Boniface was the

Chief Superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the United Kingdom, British model. Rank insignia of chief superintendent File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police File:RCMP Chief S ...

Regional Commander for the OPP in Western Ontario from 1996 to 1998. In 1998, she was named Commissioner of the OPP by the government of

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a retired Canadian politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. Taking the PC ...

. She is the first woman to hold this position. Boniface is also the first female President of the

Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) is a national political lobbying organization for police executives in Canada. It was founded in 1905 as the ''Chief Constables Association of Canada'' and adopted the current name in the early 1 ...

, and the first Canadian to hold the Vice Chair of the Division of State and Provincial Police of the

International Association of Chiefs of Police International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the world's largest professional association for police leaders. Overview The International Association of Chiefs of Police ...

. Boniface stepped down as OPP commissioner in October 2006 to accept an advisory position with the Irish

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

(police force).

As Senator

On October 31, 2016, the appointment of Boniface to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada () is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, they compose the Bicameralism, bicameral le ...

was announced by

. She sits as an independent member."Trudeau taps former banker, cop and judge for Senate"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', 30 October 2016. In March 2022 Boniface was appointed one of three co-chairs of the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency following the events of the

Freedom Convoy The Canada convoy protest, known as the Freedom Convoy (French: ''Convoi de la liberté'') was a series of protests and blockades across Canada in early 2022, initially organized to oppose COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, COVID-19 vaccine man ...

earlier that year.

Awards

Boniface was invested into the

Order of Ontario The Order of Ontario is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the Advice (constitutional), advice of the Executive Council ...

in 2001 for her work with the First Nations communities. She is a Commander of the

Order of Merit of the Police Forces The Order of Merit of the Police Forces () is an honour for merit that is, within the Canadian system of honours, the only such fellowship reserved for only members of Canada's various police forces. Created in 2000, the order is administered by ...

, the Order of St. John,Canada Gazette Part I, Vol. 141, No. 17
and has the

Alumnus of Distinction Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boniface, Gwen Commissioners of the Ontario Provincial Police Living people Members of the Order of Ontario York University alumni Canadian senators from Ontario Independent Canadian senators Women members of the Senate of Canada Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Canadian women police officers Humber College alumni Lawyers in Ontario Canadian women lawyers 1955 births 21st-century Canadian women politicians Independent Senators Group Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces 21st-century members of the Senate of Canada