New chief of defence staff: Jennie Carignan takes helm during tumultuous period for Canadian Forces

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Jennie Carignan takes the helm of the Canadian Armed Forces on Thursday during one of the most tumultuous periods faced by the military in recent memory.

Lt.-Gen. Carignan will be promoted to the rank of general as she becomes the first woman to become Canada’s chief of the defence staff.

In making the announcement about the appointment, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted Carignan’s leadership qualities, her role in combating sexual misconduct and her achievements, including in 2008, when she became the first woman to lead a combat force in the Canadian military.

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“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,” Trudeau said in a July 3 statement.

Carignan will have her work cut out for her. Besides concerns about a lack of funding and multibillion-dollar equipment purchases that have fallen years behind schedule and over budget, Carignan will also have to deal with the military’s ongoing recruiting and retention crisis, which has become so dire that in March Defence Minister Bill Blair described the situation as a “death spiral.”

In addition, several months ago, Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann warned that soldiers were leaving because of toxic military leadership. “This is one aspect that we need to address if we are going to support our members better as they serve,” McCann said during a virtual town hall with mid- to high-level military staff.

Carignan is also facing upheaval among some in the senior officer corps who have raised allegations about political machinations and their corrosive effect on leadership.

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In late May 2024, Carignan 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 Whalen had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. But now, in the statement of claim, Whelan’s lawyers are accusing the senior military and civilian leaders at National Defence of destroying the officer’s career for political purposes.

The claim filed with the court paints 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.

Carignan takes over from Gen. Wayne Eyre, who has described himself as the “accidental CDS” and whose tenure came in the midst of allegations of sexual misconduct against fellow senior officers.

Eyre was named acting defence chief in February 2021 after it was revealed that military police were looking into misconduct allegations against then Chief of the Defence Staff Adm. Art McDonald. The Liberal government named Eyre as full-time chief on Nov. 25 of that year even though no charges were ever laid against McDonald.

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This newspaper asked Eyre to comment on what he thought were the highlights of his tenure as CDS and what his greatest accomplishments were in that job. He would not provide comment.

But Eyre, who served in the military for 40 years, has faced his own controversies.

In the fall of 2021, he angered Canadian Forces personnel when he blamed the military’s sexual misconduct crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic for an exodus of personnel. “We need our mid-level leaders to dig deep and do this for the institution, to put service before self, not to retreat into retirement, but to advance forward and face the challenges head-on,” Eyre stated then.

The general’s comments generated an immediate and largely negative response on social media. Military personnel said that Eyre was out of touch and that the exodus of personnel had started long before the pandemic or the sexual misconduct crisis. Poor leadership and concerns about quality of life were among common issues cited by those who left.

Others criticized Eyre for admonishing soldiers who had committed a large part of their lives to serving in the military, noting they had the right to decide when they should leave. Eyre later acknowledged his comments created anger among military personnel.

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A decision by Eyre that was even more divisive involved changes to military dress and deportment regulations in 2022. Those changes, 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 and denounced by others in the Canadian Forces. Eyre faced much criticism for what his critics saw as an attempt to bring a “woke” agenda to Canada’s military.

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

Eyre has also faced lawsuits from his fellow generals.

He is named in Whelan’s legal action. In addition, in 2023, Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin filed a lawsuit naming 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.

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Fortin was ultimately acquitted of the charge.

In his lawsuit, Fortin alleged that, at the behest of Eyre as well as “political actors,” the investigation against him was “rushed, flawed and did not follow the usual or ordinary course of a (military police) investigation.” He also later alleged that the senior leadership, led by Eyre, was breaking the law by withholding material needed for his legal defence.

Eyre declined to comment on the lawsuit and Fortin settled it out of court in 2023, receiving a significant financial payment. Eyre has not commented on Whelan’s lawsuit.

But Eyre maintains the military that Carignan is taking over has a bright future. During a April 23 town hall meeting with military personnel, the defence chief said the Canadian Armed Forces was “an institution on the upswing.”

Trudeau had promised more money for the Canadian Forces and a military team is working on moving new projects forward, he said.

“We’re going to be OK,” said Eyre, who plans to spend part of his retirement writing a book on leadership.

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, subscribe: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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