As a youngster in Quebec, she dreamt of becoming a dancer. Instead, Jennie Carignan soared to become Canada’s first female Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest-ranking military position in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Appointed to the rank and position in July 2024, Gen. Carignan was educated as an engineer, has served in the Canadian military for more than 35 years, and has held leadership roles with missions to Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iraq and Syria. In 2013, she became the first woman commandant of the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que.
