- Born
- August 5, 1955
- Education
- Certificate in Law and Security Administration from Humber College in 1977; Bachelor of Arts degree from York University in 1982; Bachelor of Laws degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1988
- Career
- Lawyer and police officer; Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) from 1998 to 2006
- Political Experience
- Appointed to the Senate of Canada on November 10, 2016; sat as a member of the Independent Senators Group (ISG)
- Notable
- First woman to serve as OPP commissioner; first female President of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police; first Canadian to hold the Vice Chair of the Division of State and Provincial Police of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; invested into the Order of Ontario in 2001; Commander of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces; Commander of the Order of St. John
Based on publicly available information — may contain inaccuracies
Business & Financial Interests
Before being appointed to the Senate, Gwen Boniface had a long and distinguished career in law enforcement. She is best known for serving as the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) from 1998 to 2006, becoming the first woman to hold that position. Her career also included significant international roles. Following her time with the OPP, she worked as a Transnational Organized Crime Expert for the United Nations Police Division. She also served as the Deputy Chief Inspector of the Garda Síochána Inspectorate in Ireland, an organization responsible for overseeing the country's national police service. These roles provided her with extensive experience in justice, policing, and governance before she became a senator.
Key Relationships & Connections
Gwen Boniface was appointed to the Senate in November 2016 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. She sits as a member of the Independent Senators Group (ISG), a non-partisan group in the Senate. Her appointment was part of a process aimed at making the Senate a more independent and less partisan institution.