By David Pugliese
General Wayne Eyre is leaving the building.
Eyre says he will retire sometime in the summer but a specific date has yet to be made public.
Eyre has been Chief of the Defence Staff since 2021 and in command of the Canadian Armed Forces during one of its most tumultuous times, which has included widespread allegations of sexual assault and misconduct among the senior ranks.
He was named acting defence chief in February 2021 after it was revealed that military police were looking into misconduct allegations against then CDS Adm. Art McDonald. The Liberal government named Eyre as the full-time chief on Nov. 25 of that year, even though no charges were ever laid against McDonald.
Eyre’s departure was announced Jan. 12 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office. Trudeau noted that as chief of the defence staff, Eyre helped stabilize the Canadian Forces “during a period of turmoil and led the institution in responding to the many security crises and challenges facing our country and the world.”
Trudeau thanked Eyre for his many years of service to Canadians and congratulated him on his upcoming retirement. Eyre has served in the Canadian Forces for 40 years.
Eyre declined to be interviewed for this article. He also declined to respond to written questions about his time as CDS. Those included his views on what he thought his top achievements were as CDS and what he believed was his legacy.
But Eyre has had a controversial tenure, prompting some serving and retired military personnel to label him a ‘yes man’ for Trudeau on everything from sexual misconduct to changing dress and deportment regulations. The general’s defenders point out that while he had to keep the Liberal government happy with changes to the CAF, he was able to push forward an agenda that has seen the procurement of major pieces of equipment for the Army, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force.
Not all of his efforts have worked. Eyre has talked about the need for culture change to stem the number of sexual assaults, but during his tenure the number of reported incidents of sexual misconduct and assaults actually increased.
While it is difficult to determine what Eyre’s legacy will be, here are some of the flashpoints from his time as CDS:
CHANGES TO DRESS AND DEPORTMENT REGULATIONS
One of the most divisive decisions made under Eyre’s leadership was the changes to dress and deportment regulations. Dress Instructions were deemed to lack inclusivity and were seen as discriminatory and not reflecting modern society, according to the Canadian Armed Forces. So changes came into effect in September 2022 and sparked an immediate backlash from serving and retired personnel.
Eyre faced criticism for bringing in what some describe as the Liberal government’s “woke” agenda. Some of the controversial elements of that are the move to a gender-neutral dress code and the decision to allow military personnel to have coloured or long hair, face tattoos or long nails if so desired.
The criticism got so bad that Eyre’s office had to shut down in January 2024 the comments section on his social media account on X (formerly Twitter).
“In recent months, we observed a concerning increase in malicious and misinformative engagements that proved detrimental to the Canadian Armed Forces’ ethics, values, and communication objectives,” National Defence spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin noted in an email. “Considering this, we made the decision back in January to close the comments section on the CDS (Chief of the Defence Staff) X account.”
CAF MEMBERS LEAVING
In the fall of 2021, Eyre angered Canadian Forces personnel when he blamed the military’s sexual misconduct crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic for an exodus of personnel. “We need our mid-level leaders to dig deep and do this for the institution, to put service before self, not to retreat into retirement, but to advance forward and face the challenges head-on,” Eyre stated then.
The general’s comments generated an immediate and largely negative response on social media. Military personnel said that Eyre was out of touch and that the exodus of personnel had started long before the pandemic or the sexual misconduct crisis. Poor leadership and concerns about quality of life were among common issues cited by those who had left.
Others criticized Eyre for admonishing soldiers who had committed a large part of their lives to serving in the military, noting they had the right to decide when they should leave.
Eyre later acknowledged that his comments created anger among military personnel and tried, unsuccessfully in the eyes of some, to walk back his comments.
TOXIC OR POOR LEADERSHIP
Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer Bob McCann warned during a video townhall April 23, 2024 that Canadian Forces personnel were leaving because of “toxic” military leadership. Strangely, Eyre who was sitting beside McCann at the time said nothing. Instead he talked about personnel leaving because they are being moved too often to new locations around the country.
Interestingly, Eyre had previously talked about the need to limit moves of military personnel but he has also not delivered on changes in that area. Eyre has talked about the need for more military housing but has faced criticism for failing to deliver on that issue.
LAWSUITS BY FELLOW GENERALS
Eyre is in the unusual position of being the only CDS to have faced two lawsuits from his fellow generals.
The legal documents and allegations made in the legal actions have pulled back the curtain on a military and political leadership that seems rife with infighting.
In 2023 Maj. Gen. Dany Fortin filed a lawsuit naming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Eyre and other senior government and military officials for their alleged roles in Fortin’s removal from command and a military police investigation into allegations of sexual assault.
Fortin was ultimately acquitted of the charge.
In his lawsuit Fortin alleged that at the behest of Eyre as well as “political actors,” the investigation against him was “rushed, flawed and did not follow the usual or ordinary course of a CFNIS investigation.” He also later alleged that the senior leadership, led by Eyre, was breaking the law by withholding material needed for his legal defence. In addition, Fortin’s lawyers obtained documents which showed at one point Eyre considered whether he would need to resign from the role of CDS.
Eyre has declined to comment on the lawsuit and Fortin settled it out of court last year, reportedly receiving a significant financial payment.
In late May 2024, Eyre was also named in a new lawsuit filed by lawyers for Lt.-Gen. Steven Whelan.
Military prosecutors withdrew service offence charges against Whelan last year which claimed that he had an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate. Now Whelan’s lawyers are accusing Eyre and others of destroying the officer’s career to score political points, the CBC reported in its coverage of the lawsuit. Whelan is asking for $10 million in damages.
Eyre did not provide comment about this lawsuit.
But the statement of claim filed by Whelan’s lawyer contains a number of allegations against senior bureaucrats and points a picture of a toxic environment in which the military and civilian leaders operated.
SALUTING A MEMBER OF THE WAFFEN SS
Eyre will go down in history as the only Chief of the Defence Staff who has honoured and saluted a member of the Waffen SS. In September 2023, Eyre faced criticism from veterans when he twice joined all MPs in a standing ovation in the House of Commons for Waffen SS soldier Yaroslav Hunka.
Some veterans demanded an apology from the top soldier for his actions, but he refused. He declined an invitation from Esprit de Corps to explain why he saluted Hunka and why he won’t apologize.
