Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will be named Canada’s new Chief of the Defence Staff, CTV News has learned, making her the first woman to lead the Canadian Armed Forces.
A change of command ceremony has been set for July 18. Gen. Wayne Eyre was named to the post in 2021 and announced his retirement in January after a 40-year career.
Carignan became a military engineer in 1990 and has since commanded two combat engineer regiments and spearheaded crisis operations during spring 2019 flood relief efforts in Quebec. Carignan also led NATO’s mission in Iraq from November 2019 to November 2020 and has participated in expeditionary operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Golan Heights and Afghanistan.
Carignan was promoted to her current rank in 2021 and appointed as the military’s new chief of professional conduct and culture. She has four children, two of whom serve in the Canadian Armed Forces.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
With files from CTV News’ Stephanie Ha and The Canadian Press