For his support of military law as judge advocate general and for his contributions to re-establishing a society based on justice as a judge for the Special Court for Sierra Leone.
Pierre Boutet demonstrated remarkable dedication and leadership in the fields of military law and international law. He served with the Canadian Armed Forces for a number of years and notably helped make reforms to the National Defence Act as judge advocate general. Later, as a United Nations-appointed judge for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, he worked in the field for several years under very difficult conditions to help re-establish a law-abiding society.