A new Lieutenant-General took command of the Canadian Army on Thursday.
Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk assumed command of the Canadian Army from Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse, who will go on to become Canada鈥檚 senior military representative to NATO in Brussels.
A ceremony marking the changing of command took place at Parliament Hill and included a 100-soldier marching and band contingent.
Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, presided over the event. Vance praised Hainse鈥檚 leadership in the army鈥檚 mission to eliminate sexual misconduct, and his guidance following the shooting on Parliament Hill in 2014.
鈥淎 leader who leads from the front, after the terrible events of October 22, 2014, he offered to take the first shift on our national cenotaph,鈥� Vance said in a statement. 鈥淎s we expand our footprint on NATO operations, he is the right choice to be the Canadian Armed Forces鈥� military representative in NATO.鈥�
Vance also said he鈥檚 confident in Wynnyk鈥檚 ability to 鈥渟killfully鈥� lead the Army 鈥渁t home and abroad.鈥�
Wynnyk served as deputy commander of the Army from 2012 to 2014, and since July 2014 he has served as Chief of Defence Intelligence, overseeing the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command. He also served in domestic operations and internationally in Europe, Haiti and Afghanistan.
In a statement, Wynnyk thanked Hainse for his 鈥渞emarkable work.鈥�
鈥�(Canadian soldiers鈥�) expertise and professionalism are recognized the world over,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 intend to keep the bar set high.鈥�
