First woman to command a combat unit in the Canadian military is now Canada’s first female defence chief, taking over from Gen. Wayne Eyre
OTTAWA — Gen. Jennie Carignan officially took over command of the Armed Forces in a ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on Thursday. Carignan was promoted to the rank of general during the change-of-command ceremony, after being chosen by the federal government to become Canada’s first female defence chief.
She’s no stranger to firsts. Carignan was also the first woman to command a combat unit in the Canadian military, and her career has included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Syria. For the last three years, she has been the chief of professional conduct and culture, a job created as a result of the sexual misconduct scandal in 2021.
“I feel ready, poised and supported to take on this manifold challenge,” Carignan said at the ceremony, with dignitaries including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon looking on. “So I embark on my tenure as your chief of defence staff with confidence. Confidence in our team, in our partners and in Canadians. We’ve got this.”
She added: “My expectation of you as CDS is straightforward: to always do your best, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and work together, and to be an influence for good within our institution, across our country and around the world. My promise to you in return is that I will always do the same.”
Gen. Wayne Eyre is set to retire from the Armed Forces later in the summer after leading the military for about three years. Carignan thanked him for a “renewed sense of purpose” the forces have found under his leadership — and the “well-lit path” that he left for her.
Eyre closed out his tenure earlier in the ceremony with his own remarks. “You know it’s time to go when the majority of the platforms you’ve served on are here in a museum,” he said, getting laughs from attendees.
Eyre said the circumstances when he came into the position were “not ideal,” and recalled Trudeau describing what he inherited as a “turd sandwich.”
He said his rejoinder to the prime minister at the time was: “Yes, sir, but you forgot the bread.”
That joke aside, he thanked leaders for the opportunity to serve and witness history at the highest level of the Canadian military.
“The security situation out there is not getting any better and we will continue to face many crises, often stacked one upon the other,” said Eyre, emphasizing the massive threats that war in Ukraine and online disinformation continue to pose. “To do our part in the free world, we need to be at our own peak capability and readiness, and thus peak deterrence, to meet that threat.”
It will take the whole of government and the whole of society to support the military’s urgent mission, he said, to ensure that is the case.
Carignan brings “highly relevant experience” to her role, Eyre said. He told her in French: “You are ready for this role, and you deserve it.”
Following the formal handover of power, Trudeau thanked Eyre, saying he was “the exact right person to help lead Canada through incredibly difficult times.”
He praised Carignan as someone of the right calibre to take over, and pointed out she is the first woman to lead the military of any G20 country.
“You’ve demonstrated time and time again the ability to lead with both strength and flexibility,” Trudeau said. “You’ve shown a tremendous sense of agility, vision and courage.”
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