Senior Serving Artillery Officers
Colonel M. Lavoie, CD

Colonel Michel Lavoie was born in Québec City on December 10th 1961. He enrolled in the Canadian Forces on September 1st 1983 following completion of his studies at Collège de Limoilou. After his initial officer training, he began his military career with the 5e Régiment d’artillerie légère du Canada, Royal Canadian Artillery during which, he fulfilled various junior command positions. In 1986, he was promoted to the rank of Captain. During his last year with 5e RALC, he served with the regiment on a peacekeeping tour in Cyprus (September 1987 – March 1988).

From 1988 to 1993, Colonel Lavoie was posted to Chatham, NB where he attended the one-year Instructor-in-Gunnery course at the Air Defence Artillery School, Royal canadian Artillery. He then served two years at the school as an ADATS and JAVELIN Instructor. In 1991, he was appointed as the Second-in-Command of 119 Air Defence Battery. The following year, he attended the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in Kingston, Ontario.

During the summer of 1993, he was promoted to the rank of Major and posted to Valcartier, QC as the Battery Commander of the 58th Air Defence Battery, RCA. Following his two-year tour in command, he was posted to St-Hubert, QC to serve as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Commander of the Army, Major-General R.A. Dallaire. The Army Headquarters was moved in 1996 from St-Hubert to Ottawa. Major Lavoie moved with it and continued to fill the same appointment for Major-General W.C. Leach.

In 1997, he attended the Command and Staff College Course at the Collège Interarmées de Défense in Paris, France. Upon graduation in 1998, he returned to Canada and served as the Second-in-Command of the 4th Air Defence Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. In 2001, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and immediately took command of this unit during which, his unit was involved with Hurricane JUAN (Halifax) and the 2002 G8 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta.

In 2006, he completed his Masters degree in Business Administration and was posted to the Army Headquarters in Ottawa as Director Land Strategic Planning 2. In May 2008, he was promoted to his current rank and appointed as Director of the Land Staff within the Army Headquarters.

Colonel Lavoie is married to Joyce Kelly and they have two children, Marc and Jessica aged respectively 18 and 20 years. His hobbies and interests include reading, biking, playing hockey, golfing and running with his wife (she runs faster than him!!!)