Gen. Jennie Carignan has officially taken command of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as chief of the defence staff, becoming the first woman to hold the position.
Gen. Carignan assumed the role during a change of command ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on July 18.
“To lead as Chief of Defence Staff within this great Canadian institution is an honour and a privilege that comes also with an enormous responsibility, which humbles me,” Gen. Carignan said during the ceremony.
“I intend to serve with expertise and without pretension,” she added. “I believe this defence team has a bright future at a crucial time in which we are called upon to stand up and protect our compassionate democracy.”
Gen. Carignan said she feels “ready, poised, and supported” to take on global challenges, citing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, climate change, threats to Canada’s democratic values and institutions, and “increased demands on [CAF] personnel at home and abroad.”
Gen. Carignan’s military career has spanned more than 35 years, during which time she commanded two Combat Engineer Regiments and the 2nd Canadian Division, leading over 10,000 soldiers and directing crisis operations during flood relief efforts in Quebec. She was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria.
She also led the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Mission Iraq from 2019 to 2020.
Since being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-General back in 2021, she has been the Chief of Professional Conduct and Culture (CPCC), where she has been in charge of efforts to change the military’s culture. The position was created after allegations of sexual misconduct were levelled against several senior CAF leaders.
Her predecessor, Gen. Wayne Eyre, took on the role of chief of the Defence Staff in 2021 after Admiral Art McDonald voluntarily resigned from the role following allegations of sexual misconduct, which the military police ultimately did not pursue. Gen. Eyre announced back in January 2024 that he would be retiring after 40 years in the CAF.
During the ceremony, Gen. Eyre said he believes Gen. Carignan has the “character, competence, and commitment to succeed” in her new role. “In the last three years, she has tackled some of our most challenging issues, which gave significant insight into our institution, and moreover, the wider government,” he said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau highlighted at the ceremony that his government recently announced plans to meet NATO’s defence spending target by 2032, and said Gen. Carignan is “without a doubt, exactly the right person to continue to deliver on increased defence investment.”
“We are focused on getting all of you who serve the tools and resources you need to protect Canadians and to protect our values,” Mr. Trudeau said.
Minister of National Defence Bill Blair said Gen. Carignan had led the charge to make the CAF into a more “inclusive institution,” in her role as CPCC, including implementing external recommendations to this effect.
“I am very confident that you will remain the strong leader in our work to build a more inclusive institution,” he said. “I am equally confident that we will build back our numbers by doing things differently, by embracing innovation, and by demonstrating to Canadians that there is a remarkable and brilliant future available to them in service to this country.”
The CAF has been facing recruitment and retention issues in recent years, with Mr. Blair in March describing the situation as a “death spiral.”
Department of Defence figures from January indicated the attrition rate in the CAF was at 9.7 percent in the last financial year, the highest rate in over 15 years, while Mr. Blair said the forces are short nearly 16,000 troops.
