By Yves Bélanger, Servir

In late June, at the Montreal Garrison, Brigadier-General Jennie Carignan took command of 2nd Canadian Division (2 Cdn Div) and Joint Task Force (East). She became the first woman to hold this position and is now the highest ranking military officer in Quebec.

“It is with great pride and humility that I take command of 2nd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force (East), an organization that I am very familiar with and which has had an excellent track record under the impressive leadership of my predecessors, including Brigadier-General Gosselin,” she stated at the change-of-command ceremony which was held in the presence of Lieutenant-General Paul Wynnyk, Commander of the Canadian Army.

BGen Carignan affirmed that her priority will now be to build on the work that has been started. “Excellent work was accomplished by the outgoing command team, and I would like to continue in this direction to prepare and maintain professional, agile and combat-ready ground forces to meet all of Canada’s defence objectives.”

As Commander of 2 Cdn Div and Joint Task Force (East), BGen Carignan will lead four separate formations, including 5 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, 2nd Canadian Division Support Group, and 34 and 35 Canadian Brigade Groups, which include some 40 units.

At the time of the handover to BGen Carignan, BGen Hercule Gosselin stated that he was leaving with a sense of accomplishment. “It was a real privilege for me to lead 2nd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force (East).”

He continued by warmly thanking his team members. “The men and women who work for this organization have been and will continue to be a constant source of motivation, pride and inspiration for me. I am very confident in handing over command to BGen Carignan.”

During her career, BGen Jennie Carignan has held several command positions. A graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada in engineering, she served as Commander of 5 Combat Engineer Regiment, Commander of Task Force Kandahar Engineer Regiment and Commandant of the Royal Military College Saint-Jean, among other things. She also participated in overseas missions to Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Middle East, including the Golan Heights and Afghanistan.

BGen Carignan was promoted to her current rank in 2016. She most recently held the position of Chief of Staff Army Operations, Canadian Army.

To watch the video (in French only): https://www.facebook.com/jservir/videos/2083560908569429/

For more photos: https://www.facebook.com/pg/jservir/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2095587654033421