Military Hopes for Post Norman Stability as New Army Commander Installed

Chief of Defence Staff Jonathan Vance shakes hands with Lieutenant-General Wayne Eyre as he assumes command of the Canadian Army from Lieutenant-General Jean-Marc Lanthier (left) as Chief Warrant Officer Alain Gumond (second from left) and CWO Stuart Hartnell look during a change of command parade on Parliament Hill, August 20, 2019 in Ottawa. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—Cannons boomed on Parliament Hill Tuesday as the military installed a new Canadian Army commander, hoping to march past years of instability in the most senior ranks over the failed prosecution of Vice-Admiral Mark Norman.

Under a cloudless sky on the lawn in front of Centre Block, Lt.-Gen. Wayne Eyre officially took the reins of the army from Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier in a ceremony that was at once familiar but also extremely unusual.