A new Lieutenant-General took command of the Canadian Army on Thursday.

Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk assumed command of the Canadian Army from Lt.-Gen. Marquis Hainse, who will go on to become Canada’s senior military representative to NATO in Brussels.

A ceremony marking the changing of command took place at Parliament Hill and included a 100-soldier marching and band contingent.

Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jonathan Vance, presided over the event. Vance praised Hainse’s leadership in the army’s mission to eliminate sexual misconduct, and his guidance following the shooting on Parliament Hill in 2014.

“A leader who leads from the front, after the terrible events of October 22, 2014, he offered to take the first shift on our national cenotaph,” Vance said in a statement. “As we expand our footprint on NATO operations, he is the right choice to be the Canadian Armed Forces’ military representative in NATO.”

Vance also said he’s confident in Wynnyk’s ability to “skillfully” lead the Army “at home and abroad.”

Wynnyk served as deputy commander of the Army from 2012 to 2014, and since July 2014 he has served as Chief of Defence Intelligence, overseeing the Canadian Forces Intelligence Command. He also served in domestic operations and internationally in Europe, Haiti and Afghanistan.

In a statement, Wynnyk thanked Hainse for his “remarkable work.”

“(Canadian soldiers’) expertise and professionalism are recognized the world over,” he said. “I intend to keep the bar set high.”