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The Chief of the Defence Staff has primary responsibility for command, control and administration of the Canadian Forces and military strategy, plans and requirements. The Chief of the Defence Staff is 23rd on the Canadian Order of Precedence. |
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ResponsibilitiesThe Chief of the Defence Staff is appointed by the Governor-in-Council on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) also has a special relationship to the Governor General who, as the Queen's representative in Canada, exercises virtually all of her powers under the Constitution and, therefore, serves as Commander in Chief of the Canadian Forces. Thus there is in formal terms, though not in practice, a direct "line of command" from the Head of State through the CDS to all the officers who hold the Queen's Commission and, through them, to all members of the Canadian Forces.The Chief of the Defence Staff is charged with the command, control and administration of the Canadian Forces and advises the Minister on all these matters - including military requirements, capabilities, options and the possible consequences of undertaking or failing to undertake various military activities. Whenever required, the Chief of the Defence Staff advises the Prime Minister and Cabinet directly on major military developments. The CDS is thus the senior military advisor to the Government as a whole. The Chief of the Defence Staff implements government decisions involving the Canadian Forces by issuing appropriate orders and instructions. The CDS is accountable to the Minister for the conduct of CF activities, as well as for the condition of the Forces and their ability to fulfil the military commitments and obligations undertaken by the government. General Jennie Carignan
Fully bilingual, General Carignan was raised in a working-class neighbourhood in Val-des-Sources, Quebec. She was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1990 and went on to command two Combat Engineer Regiments, Royal Military College Saint-Jean, and the 2nd Canadian Division, where she led more than 10,000 soldiers and spearheaded crisis operations during flood relief efforts in Quebec. In 2008, she became the first woman in CAF history to command a combat arms unit. The following year, she deployed to Afghanistan to head the Task Force Kandahar Engineer Regiment. She is also a veteran of deployments in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Syria. More recently, she led NATO Mission Iraq from November 2019 to November 2020, helping strengthen Iraqi security institutions and forces to fight terrorism and stabilize the country. In recognition of her leadership and valour, General Carignan received the Meritorious Service Medal in 2011 and the Meritorious Service Cross in 2021. That same year, she was invested by the Governor General as a Commander of the Order of Military Merit. She is also the recipient of the prestigious Gloire de l’Escolle medal and of an honourary doctorate in Business Administration, both from Laval University. She was named one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2011. General Carignan is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada, where she earned a Bachelor of Engineering. Over the course of her career, she also earned a Master of Business Administration from Laval University as well as a Master in Military Studies from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies, in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Additionally, she is a graduate of the National Security Programme from the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Ontario. General Carignan is the mother of four children, two of whom proudly serve in the CAF. |
