LGen Lanthier assumes role as Army Commander

In a ceremony on Parliament Hill that was presided over by General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, Lieutenant-General Jean-Marc Lanthier assumed his new position on 16 July as Commander Canadian Army from LGen Paul Wynnyk.

The Change of Command ceremony took place at Parliament Hill and included a 100-soldier marching and band contingent comprised of members of the Ceremonial Guard drawn from the Governor General’s Foot Guards, The Canadian Grenadier Guards and several other units. Displays of military equipment were showcased during the event. Watch video of ceremony here.

LGen Lanthier served in a variety of command and staff appointments including command of the 2nd Canadian Division/Joint Task Force (East) and the Canadian Army Doctrine and Training Centre; as well as Director of Land Requirements and, most recently, as Chief of Programme. His numerous operational deployments include three to the former Yugoslavia; two to Afghanistan, one where he served as the Commanding Officer of the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team; and one to Haiti where he was the Canadian Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force. Most recently, Lanthier served as the Army's Chief of Programme. 

Acknowledging the depth of his experience, General Vance expressed his "confidence in Lieutenant-General Lanthier’s abilities to lead Canada’s Army into the future.”

In addition to his role as Commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General Jean-Marc Lanthier will also become the new Defence Team Champion for Indigenous Peoples – a position held by the Commander Canadian Army for more than 10 years.

General Vance also thanked the outgoing Commander, LGen Wynnyk, "for his commitment and strong leadership as Commander Canadian Army for the last two years. I applaud his efforts to strengthen the Army Reserve and his dedication to ensuring our soldiers receive the best possible training to meet the demands of any operation." Before commanding the Army, Wynnyk had served as the Commander of Canadian Forces Intelligence Command. LGen Wynnyk is not retiring yet, he will go on to assume the duties of Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.
 
During the ceremony, LGen Wynnyk praised "the exceptional and professional military men and women who serve and sacrifice to protect and defend our nation and its Allies. I thank each and every one of our soldiers, our civilians and their families for what they do in support of Canada and all Canadians.”
 
The Canadian Army is the land component of the Canadian Armed Forces and is the largest of the three Command Elements. The Canadian Army prepares soldiers who are well-led, well-trained and well-equipped to protect Canadians and Canadian interests domestically and abroad. It consists of:

• 23,500 full-time soldiers in the Regular Force;
• 19,000 part-time, volunteer soldiers in the Reserve Force;
• 5,000 Canadian Rangers who serve in sparsely settled northern, coastal and isolated areas of Canada; and
• 3,000 civilian employees who support the Army.