Celebrating 50 years of Women in the RCMP with Sgt. Judith Bertrand

Kelowna

2024-09-18 09:42 PDT

From attending Remembrance Day ceremonies while living in Europe as a young girl, Sgt. Judith Bertrand knew a career in the RCMP was in her future.

Born and raised in Quebec, she was the daughter of a Canadian military father so did her elementary schooling in Germany and Belgium with her father posted in Europe. As a proud Canadian, Judith would attend the annual Remembrance Day ceremony in those countries, which was also attended by members of the RCMP in their red serge. She knew immediately that she wanted to be part of the RCMP team. When they moved back to Canada, Judith was then a university aged student, who attended post-secondary and then entered the RCMP’s Depot.

What are some of your biggest celebrations as a member of the RCMP

Two years ago, I fulfilled one of my goals to serve a one-year United Nations deployment overseas and was deployed to the Congo where I worked as a specialist in sex assaults. I have also worked as a homicide investigator here in Kelowna on a couple of high-profile cases and got some really big wins, getting our hands on the suspect quickly.

I’ve been very fortunate to accomplish a lot within the RCMP that I’m very proud of. I worked the G7 Conference and hosted International attendees in my red serge, I was lucky to attend an International Women’s Conference with hundreds of women law enforcement officers from all over the world and I received my Team Commander accreditation as a Corporal which was a big accomplishment for me.

What motivates you to continue to serve in law enforcement?

I’m a very proud member of the RCMP, still have plenty of energy to give and still want to make a difference. In my opinion the RCMP continues to modernize its way of thinking and I feel like I have been a part of this evolution and am excited to see what’s next. I also feel a sense of duty to mentor and be there for the new female officers just starting out in uniform. I craved having female leadership when I was first starting, so I want to be there for them while in this position and I don’t take it for granted.

What advice would you give to a young female thinking about joining RCMP?

Be positive and surround yourself with positive people because not every posting is perfect. There will be some bumps along the way, but you need to stay positive and be part of the change for the better. The RCMP is changing and you are part of the change, it’s very exciting.

Judith has been a member of the RCMP for almost 28 years and she still has plenty left to give. She has had the privilege of serving in three different districts in BC and has a very good understanding of policing because of it. She has served in the lower mainland, in the northern region and now in the Central Okanagan. Today she is a Sergeant and works with a great team on Watch 1.

Photo of Sergeant Judith Bertrand