Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan has been named the next chief of the defence staff, CBC News and Radio-Canada have learned — making her the first woman to serve as the top commander of the Canadian military.
PM Trudeau expected to appoint first female head of the military next week
Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan has been named the next chief of the defence staff, CBC News and Radio-Canada have learned — making her the first woman to serve as the top commander of the Canadian military.
Carignan will succeed Gen. Wayne Eyre as leader of the Canadian Armed Forces, a senior source said.
CBC News is keeping the name of the source confidential because they were not allowed to speak publicly about the announcement.
Canada has had 21 full-time defence chiefs since the role was created in 1964, all of them men.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to formally announce her appointment next week.
The source said Carignan was offered the position on Wednesday and has accepted.
Carignan is currently the military’s chief of professional conduct and culture — a newly-created position she’s held since April 2021, when she was tasked by the federal government with combating sexual misconduct within the Canadian Armed Forces and changing the military’s culture.
More to come …