Gen. Wayne Eyre named permanent chief of defence staff | CBC News

Gen. Wayne Eyre can drop the word “acting” from his title. Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed him chief of the defence staff — the top position in Canada’s military — on a permanent basis.

Eyre, the former commander of the Canadian Army and an Afghanistan combat veteran, has been filling the defence chief’s role on an acting basis since Admiral Art McDonald voluntarily stepped aside in February after being informed he was under investigation for sexual misconduct.

Last summer, military police concluded there was insufficient evidence to charge McDonald with any criminal or code of service discipline offence in relation to an alleged incident more than a decade ago aboard HMCS Montreal.

In a media statement, Trudeau said he has full confidence in Eyre and noted that the last several months have been a trial by fire.

“Throughout his career, General Eyre has demonstrated dedicated service to his country and to Canadians,” the prime minister said.

“Over the past year, his lived experience has played a vital role in providing strong leadership and helping Canadians across the country as they faced important and increasingly difficult challenges.”

Trudeau said he’s certain Eyre “will continue working hard to build and oversee cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces, and to gain trust and confidence of survivors of sexual misconduct.”

Newly appointed Defence Minister Anita Anand said she looks forward to working with Eyre as they implement the reforms to address sexual misconduct in the military.

The appointment is not a surprise. Eyre was promoted to full general earlier this year — a signal that he was being considered as a permanent replacement for McDonald.

Since stepping back from the CDS position, McDonald has conducted a high-profile public campaign to win his job back.

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