Canada names Jennie Carignan as first woman to lead military
- The lieutenant-general was tasked three years ago with reforming a toxic armed forces culture plagued by sex assault accusations
Canada’s prime minister announced on Wednesday the appointment of Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan as the first woman to lead the G7 and Nato member nation’s military.
A highly decorated soldier and mother of four children, two of whom serve in the Canadian Armed Forces, Carignan will be promoted to the rank of general and take over from retiring General Wayne Eyre as chief of the Defence Staff at a ceremony on July 18.
“I am confident that, as Canada’s new chief of the Defence Staff, she will help Canada be stronger, more secure, and ready to tackle global security challenges,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
At a press conference in Montreal, he added that Carignan takes over the leadership of the military at a pivotal moment marked by “complicated geopolitics and increased threats”.
The Canadian Armed Forces are also grappling with a toxic culture described in a damning 2022 external report as “hostile to women … [and] conducive to more serious incidents of sexual harassment and assault”.