Lieutenant General Paul Francis Wynnyk, CMM, MSM, CD (born June 29, 1964) is a former Canadian Army officer who served from 2016 to 2018 as Commander of the Canadian Army. On July 16, 2018, he was named Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, until his resignation and retirement in July 2019.
Paul Wynnyk | |
|---|---|
 Lt. Gen. Paul Wynnyk | |
| Deputy Minister of Executive Council, Intergovernmental Relations | |
| Assumed office June 2023 | |
| Premier | Danielle Smith |
| Preceded by | Coleen Volk |
| Deputy Minister of Health | |
| In office May 2021 – June 2023 | |
| Minister | |
| Preceded by | Janet Davidson |
| Succeeded by | Andre Tremblay |
| Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs | |
| In office October 2019 – May 2021 | |
| Minister | |
| Preceded by | Brad Pickering |
| Succeeded by | Brandy Cox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 29, 1964 |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Medal Canadian Forces' Decoration |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Branch/service | Canadian Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 1 Combat Engineer Regiment 1 Area Support Group Land Force Western Area Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Commander of the Canadian Army Vice Chief of the Defence Staff |
| Battles/wars | War in Afghanistan |
Early life
editPaul Wynnyk is of Ukrainian descent, the grandson of emigrants in Alberta from Radvantsi, Lviv region, in Western Ukraine.[1] He was born in Edmonton on June 29, 1964, and was raised in the village of Breton, Alberta.[2]
Military career
editWynnyk attended Royal Roads Military College and the Royal Military College of Canada, and he was commissioned into the Canadian Military Engineers in 1986.[3] He became commanding officer of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment in Edmonton in 1997, commander of 1 Area Support Group in 2004 and Assistant Commanding General at the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan in March 2009.[3] He went on to be commander of Land Force Western Area in 2010, Deputy Commander of the Canadian Army in 2012 and Commander of the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command and Chief of Defence Intelligence in July 2014.[3]
In January 2016, it was announced that he would become Chief of the Army Staff and Commander of the Canadian Army.[4] In his speech during the ceremony, Wynnyk gave credit to his parents for supporting him on the path to this point in his career. "My mom Joan, who is here today, has watched and supported my journey in uniform from cub scout, to army cadet, to reservist, to regular officer," he said. About his late father Walter, Wynnyk said, "As both my high school principal and the commanding officer of my army cadet corps, it was he who encouraged me to embark upon a career of military service.[4] On July 16, 2018, he was named Vice Chief of the Defence Staff.[5]
In July 2019, Wynnyk resigned as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff after he claimed that Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance planned to replace him as the Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff with Vice-Admiral Mark Norman. Wynnyk then claimed these plans were reversed when Vice-Admiral Norman settled with the government and retired from the military. Wynnyk was the fifth vice-chief to serve under Vance.[6]
Post-military career
editIn October 2019, Wynnyk was appointed as Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs for the Government of Alberta[7] and became Deputy Minister of Health in 2021.[8]
Awards and decorations
editWynnyk's personal awards and decorations include the following:
| Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| |
Order of Military Merit (CMM) | |
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Meritorious Service Medal (MSM) |
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South-West Asia Service Medal |
|
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General Campaign Star |
|
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Special Service Medal |
|
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Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal | |
| |
United Nations | Advance Mission in Cambodia Medal
|
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United Nations | Transitional Authority in Cambodia Medal
|
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United Nations | Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Medal
|
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Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
|
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Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD) |
|
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Alberta Centennial Medal |
|
| |
Order of Military Merit (Brazil) |
|
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Order of Military Merit José María Córdova |
|
| Baryaal Darajaah Uak Medal |
| |
| |
Legion of Merit |
|
He was a qualified Paratrooper and as such wore the Canadian Forces Jump Wings with Red Maple Leaf
Command Commendation
References
edit- ^ "New commander of Canadian army has Ukrainian roots". Unian. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
- ^ Lydia Neufeld. "New head of Canada's Army from Breton, Alberta". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, July 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c "Major General PF Wynnyk: Biography". Canadian Army. 22 April 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ a b "Top ranks of Canadian Forces get shake-up with new army, navy commanders". CBC. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
- ^ New Commander for the Canadian Army: changes in the Canadian army command, July 16, 2018
- ^ "Vice-chief of defence staff resigns, citing plan Mark Norman was to replace him - National | Globalnews.ca". globalnews.ca. July 9, 2019.
- ^ "Former Canadian Forces second in command appointed municipal affairs top civil servant | Edmonton Journal". October 5, 2019.
- ^ "Deputy Ministers' Council". www.alberta.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
- ^ a b "Order of Military Merit List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ^ "Meritorious Service Decorations List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ^ "The Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal List". The Governor General of Canada.
- ^ a b "Canada Gazette, Part 1". Gouvernment of Canada. 28 July 2018.
- ^ "Canada Gazette" (PDF). Gouvernment of Canada.
External links
edit
Media related to Paul Wynnyk at Wikimedia Commons