Why experts are calling Jennie Carignan’s promotion to defense chief a ‘glass cliff’

Canada's military will make history on Thursday when Jennie Carignan is promoted to the rank of general and takes over command as chief of the defense staff. 

Canada’s military will make history on Thursday when Jennie Carignan is promoted to the rank of general and takes over command as chief of the defense staff.

Her appointment to lead the Armed Forces comes at a time when the institution is under public scrutiny, as it tries to reverse what the defense minister calls a “death spiral” in recruitment while also reforming a toxic culture that gave way to the 2021 sexual misconduct crisis.

For the last three years, Carignan has led those reform efforts as the chief of professional conduct and culture. But the pressure on her is about to grow, observers say.

“As positive as it is to see the appointment of Canada’s first woman as (defense chief), it does appear in many ways like a ‘glass cliff’ situation, where a woman is appointed during a time of crisis and extensive challenges,” said Maya Eichler, a professor of politics and women’s studies at Mount Saint Vincent University.

The so-called glass cliff is the notion that many women break through the “glass ceiling” to senior positions only when an organization is already in trouble — thereby making it harder for them to succeed.

Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, a fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute who wrote a book about women’s integration into the Canadian military, agreed that is a real concern.

“I think that one of the two biggest challenges there will be, for us but also for her, is managing expectations,” she said.

Duval-Lantoine pointed out there were also high expectations for Anita Anand, who became the country’s second female defense minister — and the first racialized woman to take the job — in late 2021.