Gen. Wayne Eyre says he has no idea who's replacing him as top military commander
CBC
The Canadian military is expecting to get a new top commander on July 18, 2024.
Who it will be appears to be anybody's guess at this point — and even the current chief of the defence staff says he has no idea who is replacing him.
In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday, Gen. Wayne Eyre said the date for the change of command ceremony has been set but the federal government has not yet revealed who will take over.
"We do know that the change of command will be the 18th of July," said Eyre, who — according to several defence department sources — had advocated for a gap of at least two months between his successor's appointment and his departure.
"We know [now] any handover period is going to be greatly abbreviated, which increases risk to the institution," Eyre said.
Eyre signaled in January that he was planning to retire this summer after 40 years in uniform. At the time, the Prime Minister's Office congratulated him in a media statement and thanked him for his service.
Asked recently when a replacement would be named, a spokesperson for the prime minister said it might be a while and offered no specifics.
Several names have been floated as possible replacements. The one heard most often is Lt.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, the current head of conduct and culture within the military.
Other names have included Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, current head of the military's operations command, and Maj.-Gen. Paul Prévost, the director of the strategic joint staff — the nerve centre of military planning.
Eyre has been in the job since February 2021, when he replaced the now-retired admiral Art McDonald as defence chief. McDonald stepped aside after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced — claims that military police later decided not to pursue.
Eyre, the former commander of the Canadian Army, took over an institution in crisis as many senior leaders of the Armed Forces faced allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
He was appointed at first on an acting basis and given the permanent role in November 2021.
The fact that he was dropped, unprepared, into the middle of a crisis led him to insist on a careful, orderly transition.
"I can tell you coming into this job with no handover is not not the way to do business," Eyre said, "and I want to do everything I can to set up my successor, and more importantly the institution, for success."
The N.W.T. cabinet says it will review whether or not the territory needs an independent child and youth advocate after a motion by Range Lake MLA Kieron Testart calling on it to establish such a position was carried in the legislative assembly.
From affordable housing in Alberta to high taxes in Quebec, there are many widely accepted claims about the cost of living in different parts of the country. But are these preconceptions accurate?
An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) report examining the conduct of investigators from a high-profile murder trial into the death of a Toronto police officer where a judge accused responding officers of lying and collusion is expected to be unveiled Tuesday.
While U.S. President Donald Trump tries to convince allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, he is also sending 2,500 marines to the region — the first deployment of U.S. troops since it and Israel first attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Management with the Southern Shore Breakers junior hockey team say the suspensions handed out following a March 7 rumble at the Goulds Arena in St. John's are excessive, and plan to appeal the discipline with Hockey NL.
On Hollywood's biggest night, newly crowned Oscar winner Tamara Deverell used her time in the spotlight to condemn the Nova Scotia government for cutting millions of dollars of support to the province's arts sector in this year's budget.
A campaign to convince the 17,000 New Brunswick households that have refused the installation of a smart meter to change their minds will likely be launched in June, the utility's ongoing rate hearing was told on Monday.
The City of Montreal is scrapping a plan to remove trash cans from La Fontaine Park this summer.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is no longer offering a timeline for the opening of a supervised consumption site in Winnipeg, emphasizing the province wants it to be done properly rather than quickly.
A faulty e-bike battery caused Friday night's blaze in Saskatoon's North Industrial area, a fire investigator has determined.
Premier Scott Moe called on NDP Leader Carla Beck to fire newly-appointed campaign manager Jeremy Nolais after he sent what Moe called a "dangerous" fundraising email to NDP members over the weekend.
Five months ago, Dr. Anne Herdman Royal began a new job in Canada. Driven out of the United States by a shifting political landscape and a mass shooting at the hospital where she worked in Tulsa, Okla., it had become a country she no longer wanted to call home.
Alberta's government — along with the Rural Municipalities of Alberta, and the province’s energy regulator — say they want to crack down on oil and gas companies that don’t pay their property taxes.