First woman becomes commander of Canadian Armed Forces

TORONTO — A woman has become the top commander of Canada’s military for the first time.

Gen. Jennie Carignan officially took over command of the Canadian Armed Forces in a ceremony at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa on Thursday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Carignan is the first woman to lead the military of any Group of 20 or Group of Seven country.

“That could create a model and a change in terms of what is possible for women,” Carignan said. “It’s a great step forward. It is a result of many, many years within the Canadian Forces.”

Carignan was promoted to the rank of general during the change-of-command ceremony, after being chosen by Trudeau’s government to become Canada’s first female defense chief.

Trudeau called it a historic day and praised Carignan as someone of the right caliber to take over. He named her to the role earlier this month.

“You are the very first woman to ever become chief of the Defence Staff in Canada, the very first in the G7 and the G20. You are a role model for all Canadians and the world,” Trudeau said during the ceremony.

In 2018, Trudeau appointed the first female head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and his Cabinet has been 50% female since he took office in 2015.

Carignan is no stranger to firsts. She 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.

Carignan called the promotion a natural step and said that she is grateful.

“I'm ready for this. I've worked all of this time,” she said.

She said her top priorities include recruitment and retention.

The appointment comes as Canada continues to face criticism from NATO allies for not spending 2% of its gross domestic product on defense. The Canadian government recently said that it would reach its NATO commitment by 2032, but specifics have yet to be provided.

多伦多——加拿大军队最高指挥官首次由女性担任。

周四，珍妮·卡里尼昂将军在渥太华加拿大战争博物馆举行的仪式上正式接管加拿大武装部队的指挥权。

加拿大总理贾斯汀·特鲁多表示，卡里尼昂是二十国集团或七国集团中首位领导军队的女性。

卡里尼昂说：“这可能会为女性创造一种新模式，并带来改变，让人们看到她们所能达到的成就。这是向前迈出的一大步，也是加拿大军队多年来努力的成果。”

在指挥权交接仪式上，卡里尼昂被晋升为将军，此前她被特鲁多政府选中，成为加拿大第一位女性国防部长。

特鲁多称这是历史性的一天，并称赞卡里尼昂是接任总理的合适人选。他于本月初任命她担任这一职务。

“您是加拿大历史上第一位女性国防参谋长，也是七国集团和二十国集团中的第一位。您是所有加拿大人和全世界的榜样，”特鲁多在仪式上说道。

2018 年，特鲁多任命了加拿大皇家骑警的首位女性负责人，自 2015 年上任以来，他的内阁成员中女性占比一直达到 50%。

卡里尼昂对创造第一并不陌生。她也是加拿大军队中第一位指挥作战部队的女性，她的职业生涯包括在伊拉克、阿富汗、波斯尼亚和叙利亚的部署。

在过去的三年里，她一直担任职业操守和文化主管，这个职位是由于 2021 年的性丑闻而设立的。

卡里尼昂称这次晋升是水到渠成的事，并表示她对此心存感激。

“我已经准备好了。我为此努力了这么久，”她说。

她说，她的首要任务包括招聘和留住人才。

加拿大此次任命正值其因国防开支未达到国内生产总值2%而持续受到北约盟国批评之际。加拿大政府近期表示，将在2032年前达到其对北约的承诺，但具体细节尚未公布。