2023 General and Flag Officers Promotions and Appointments Announced

Above image, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre, right, recently announced officers that have been promoted or appointed to significant roles in the CAF. Top left to right, RAdm. D.J. Patchell, BGen. G.M. Borque, BGen. J.E.S. Boucher, bottom left to right, RAdm. R.L. Patterson, Brigadier-General J.J.C. Potvin, Lieutenant-General M.H.L. Bourgon. Right,  Images courtesy of the CAF/DND.

The first set of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) senior promotions and appointments of General and Flag Officers for 2023 were announced earlier this month by Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre.

“I offer my congratulations and sincerest best wishes to those taking on new appointments and responsibilities,” stated the CDS in CANFORGEN 070/23.

Creating an Inclusive Process

According to the CAF, the military continues to evolve its promotion process to ensure inclusive leaders are selected. Because of this changing process, the CDS has noted that it is taking longer than usual to finalize promotions, and “thus the delay in announcements.”

“The requirement for General and Flag Officers is driven by the need to lead defence priorities at the institutional level, create and sustain a diverse and inclusive culture, and project leadership abroad,” writes the Department of National Defence.

Those being assessed for promotion complete an “evidence-based character assessment.” Then candidates undergo a “360-degree” evaluation which is known as the multi-rater assessment.

“This approach uses a diverse group of evaluators to reduce bias and foster diverse perspectives to obtain a holistic perspective of the candidate’s leadership behaviour and effectiveness,” explains DND.

Promotion candidates can also be required to conduct an interview by a third-party organization.

General and Flag Officer appointments

The following officers have been promoted or appointed to significant roles in the CAF:

• MGen. M.H.L. Bourgon was promoted Lieutenant-General and will remain Acting Chief of Military Personnel and Acting Commander Military Personnel Command in Ottawa.
• BGen. J.E.S. Boucher was promoted Major-General and appointed Director General Culture Change in Ottawa, replacing RAdm. R.L. Patterson.
• Col. D. Chafai was promoted Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Commander 2nd Canadian Division in Montreal, replacing BGen. J.G.S. Tardif.
• Col. S.M. Parsons was promoted Brigider-General acting-while-so-employed and appointed Task Force Commander Operation Proteus in Jerusalem, replacing BGEn. P.H.G.H. Robichaud.
• Col. J.J.C. Potvin was promoted Brigadier-General and appointed Deputy Director General Continental Defence Policy in Ottawa, replacing BGen. T.A. Morehen.

The following General Officers and Flag Officers were promoted to substantive ranks, according to the CANFORGEN:

• RAdm. D.J. Patchell was promoted substantive in rank and remained appointed Vice Commander Unite States 2nd Fleet in Norfolk, Virginia.
• Cmdr. K.H. Coffee was promoted substantive in rank and remained appointed Director General Maritime Equipment Program Management in Ottawa.
• BGen. G.M. Borque was promoted substantive in rank and remained appointed Deputy Commander 3rd Canadian Division in Edmonton.
• BGen. D.J.A. Goulet was promoted substantive in rank and remained appointed Chief of Staff, Canadian Forces Intelligence Command, in Ottawa.
• Commodore J.R.M. Thibault was promoted substantive in rank and remained appointed Project Manager, Canadian Surface Combatant Project in Ottawa.