Jennie Carignan

General Marie Annabelle Jennie Carignan (born 1968) is a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) officer who has served as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) since July 2024. Born in Quebec, Carignan graduated as a military engineer from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMCC) in Kingston, Ontario. She served as an officer in combat engineering regiments in various Canadian military actions in the 1990s and 2000s including the Golan Heights, Bosnia and Afghanistan. As a full colonel, Carignan became Commandant of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in 2013.

When Carignan was promoted to brigadier-general, in June 2016, she became the first Canadian female general from a combat command. She was promoted again in 2019, to major-general, and commanded NATO forces in Iraq. In 2021, she was promoted to lieutenant-general, and became CAF’s first chief for Professional Conduct and Culture. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced she would become the first woman to serve as CDS on 3 July 2024. The appointment and promotion to general took effect on 18 July 2024, with the change of command ceremony.

Early life, education, and family Marie Annabelle Jennie Carignan was born in 1968, and grew up in Asbestos, Quebec, in a French-speaking household. Growing up, the only career she considered aside from the military was dancing as she had learned ballet, lyrical and jazz dancing from the age of eight. Carignan married Eric Lefrançois in 1990, having met while in the same platoon at military college and taking ballroom dance classes together while there. She was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 2005. being appointed deputy commander of 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group upon her return. In July 2013, Carignan became commandant of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean and in the same year received the Hermès Award for excellence in administration. She became the first female Canadian general from a combat (as opposed to technical) arm.

She was promoted to lieutenant-general in 2021 upon her appointment to the newly created position of Chief for Professional Conduct and Culture, with the responsibility of preventing sexual assault in the military.

On 28 June 2024, news broke that Carignan would succeed General Wayne Eyre as Chief of the Defence Staff upon his retirement in July 2024. The official announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office occurred on 3 July 2024, and included the mention that she would be promoted to the rank of full general. Her appointment makes her the first female head of a national military force in any of the Five Eyes allied countries. Her promotion took effect on 18 July 2024, at the change in command ceremony held at the Canadian War Museum with Governor General Mary Simon officiating.

Honours and decorations Carignan has received the following orders and decorations during her military career:

Awarded 3 June 2022

She received an Honorary degree from Université Laval in 2019, and is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.