Critics of top soldier Jennie Carignan and military diversity are helping Vladimir Putin, Canada’s outgoing defence chief says

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Canada’s outgoing defence chief hit back at his critics and those questioning the appointment of the first female general to lead the Canadian Forces by claiming they were aiding Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, who handed over command of the military to Gen. Jennie Carignan on Thursday, has faced intense criticism for his efforts to change the military culture, including his decision to ease dress and deportment standards.

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Those changes in 2022, which brought in a gender-neutral dress code and allowed military personnel to have coloured or long hair, face tattoos or long nails, were welcomed by some, but denounced by others in the defence community.

Retired and serving military personnel complained Eyre was bringing a “woke” agenda to the Canadian Forces.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also recently vowed to put an end to the “woke” culture in the military, but did not provide details.

The appointment of Carignan as the first female in history to lead the Canadian military has also led to criticism in some defence circles on social media. Included were complaints about Carignan’s role in changing the culture of the military and questions about the quality of leadership on foreign missions.

In his change of command speech Thursday, Eyre pointed to the criticism the military, as well as Carignan, had faced.

But he claimed those questioning diversity policies and the future direction of the Canadian Armed Forces were helping Russians undermine Canada.

“Our own institution is being targeted every day as we see pro-Kremlin trolls tailoring their insidious propaganda to cause maximum harm, in many cases with fabricated personal attacks,” Eyre said. “Gen. Carignan, you have already seen this. Even if they don’t see themselves consciously aligned with hostile states their ends are the same: They are Putin’s useful idiots.

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“This is a real issue that lures those who would drag us into the culture wars,” he added.

Eyre provided no evidence that those former Canadian military personnel or others who objected to the military’s diversity changes were linked to Russia.

Carignan, who has served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia and Syria, didn’t address the attacks that circulated about her on social media. “Not only do I feel ready, but I also feel very well supported,” she said in her speech.

Concerns about Russian and Chinese disinformation have reached a fever pitch in western nations in recent years, with various militaries, spy agencies and government-funded think tanks sounding the alarm over such activities.

But western militaries and governments have also used claims of Russian disinformation in attempts to undercut media reports or viewpoints they don’t like.

When asked by the CBC in 2022 about reports in the New York Times and Global News that revealed Canadian special forces were operating in Ukraine, Eyre claimed the media was helping Russian disinformation efforts. Canadian special forces, however, did not deny the New York Times reporting.

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Eyre was asked by this newspaper to produce evidence that CBC, Global News and New York Times journalists had aided the Russians. He did not respond.

Defence insiders who have worked with Eyre say he is very sensitive to any criticism of his initiatives and policies.

The comments on Eyre’s official government X account were shut down earlier this year because of criticism he received about the changes to the dress and deportment policy.

But Eyre eventually had to retreat on his original policy changes to some degree. In June, the Canadian Forces announced it was back to tightening some of its dress standards, regulating the length of hair among troops. It noted that, while the initial changes brought in by Eyre had many positive effects, there had been what it called an “inconsistent interpretation and application.”

Carignan will have her work cut out for her. Besides concerns about a lack of funding and multi-billion-dollar equipment purchases that have fallen years behind schedule and over budget, Carignan will also have to deal with the Canadian military’s ongoing recruiting and retention crisis.

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She said Thursday that dealing with the recruitment issue was her No. 1 job. “The priority is to make sure we welcome a whole range of Canadian expertise and quality people,” she added.

Carignan is also facing upheaval among some in the senior officer corps who have raised allegations about political machinations and interference that they allege have had a corrosive effect on leadership.

In late May, Carignan, Eyre and other senior officers were named in a lawsuit filed by lawyers for Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan.

Military prosecutors dropped service offence charges last year that claimed Whelan had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. But now, in the statement of claim, Whelan’s lawyers accuse senior military and civilian leaders at National Defence of destroying the officer’s career for political purposes.

The claim filed with the court painted a picture of a toxic environment and vicious infighting at National Defence headquarters in Ottawa.

National Defence and the Canadian Forces have declined to comment because of the pending litigation.

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In 2023, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin filed a lawsuit against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eyre and other senior government and military officials for their alleged roles in Fortin’s removal from command and a military police investigation into allegations of sexual assault.

Fortin was ultimately acquitted of the charge.

In his lawsuit, Fortin alleged that, at the behest of Eyre and “political actors,” the investigation against him was “rushed, flawed and did not follow the usual or ordinary course of a (military police) investigation.”

Eyre declined to comment on that lawsuit and Fortin settled it out of court in 2023, receiving a significant financial payment.

Eyre has not commented on Whelan’s lawsuit.

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