Jennie Carignan to take command of Canadian Armed Forces in historic ceremony

Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan is set to officially take over command of the Canadian Armed Forces this morning in a ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Carignan will also be promoted to the rank of general during the change-of-command ceremony.

She was chosen by the federal government to become Canada’s first female defence chief, and she’s no stranger to firsts.

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Carignan was also the first woman to command a combat unit in the Canadian military, and her career has included deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Syria.

For the last three years, she has been the chief of professional conduct and culture, a job created as a result of the sexual misconduct scandal in 2021.

Gen. Wayne Eyre is set to retire from the Armed Forces later in the summer after leading the military for about three years.