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Command of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) officially changed hands at a ceremony Wednesday in Ottawa. The new Commander of CANSOFCOM, Major-General Peter Dawe, assumed command from Major-General Mike Rouleau at a ceremony at Cartier Square Drill Hall.

Rouleau, a former member of JTF2, had a four-year tenure as commander of Canada’s special operations forces. Rouleau oversaw the expansion of the command as well as the deployment of personnel into Iraq.

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Formerly the deputy commander of CANSOFCOM, Dawe has more than 28 years of experience in the Canadian military. He has had operational tours in Cyprus, Bosnia, and two tours in Afghanistan.

Earlier, on April 24, CANSOFCOM also held a change of appointment ceremony, where the command bade farewell to Chief Warrant Officer Daniel Legault and welcomed Chief Warrant Officer Andy Bonvie as the new CANSOFCOM Command Sergeant-Major. Enrolling in the Canadian military in 1988 as an infantryman with the Royal Canadian Regiment, Bonvie has served in various capacities within CANSOFCOM since 1998, including JTF-2 and CANSOFCOM Headquarters. CWO Bonvie has deployed on operations in Yugoslavia, Africa, Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He was invested into the Order of Military Merit 2016 and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2014.