Lieutenant-General Jennie Carignan was appointed as the first woman to lead the military of a G7 and NATO member country, as announced by Canada’s prime minister on Wednesday.
Carignan, a highly decorated soldier and mother of four (with two children in the Canadian Armed Forces), will be promoted to general. She will take over from retiring General Wayne Eyre as the chief of the Defence Staff during a ceremony on July 18.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed confidence in Carignan’s ability to strengthen and secure Canada while addressing global security challenges in her new role as chief of the Defence Staff.
During a press conference in Montreal, Trudeau highlighted the complex geopolitical landscape and increased threats that mark the pivotal moment of Carignan’s leadership.
The Canadian Armed Forces are also facing internal challenges, including a toxic culture identified in a 2022 external report as hostile to women and conducive to sexual harassment and assault.
Over the past three years, Carignan has been working to reform this culture to be more respectful and inclusive, following numerous sexual misconduct allegations, including those against high-ranking officials.
Women constitute 16 percent of the Canadian military, according to government data.
Carignan grew up in the mining town of Asbestos, Quebec, as the daughter of a policeman and a teacher.
She joined the military in 1986, three years before Canada allowed women in combat roles.
Training as a combat engineer, a role involving bomb disposal and battlefield construction, Carignan quickly rose through the ranks, challenging stereotypes about women in the military.
She became the first woman to lead a Canadian combat unit and served in Afghanistan, where she narrowly escaped a suicide bomber and an IED attack.
Carignan has also served in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria, led NATO’s training mission in Iraq from 2019 to 2020, and commanded the 2nd Canadian Division, the military’s largest regiment with over 10,000 troops.
