Gen. Rick Hillier, the outspoken chief of Canada's defence staff, will step down July 1. -
The native of Newfoundland and Labrador has been in the job since February 2005, appointed by former prime minister Paul Martin. The role doesn't have a defined length, but the average tenure is three to five years.
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Hillier was expected to comment later in the afternoon.
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Hillier had been a strong advocate of Canada's military intervention in Afghanistan and is said to have been the driving force behind an increased Canadian military presence in Kandahar province.
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His predilection to speak his mind led some to suggest he had a tense relationship with the Prime Minister's Office.
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Last October, it was reported that the Conservatives were seeking to push the outspoken senior military commander out of his job. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper denied the report, praising Hillier as an outstanding soldier and saying there had been no discussion about the possibility of changing the chief of defence staff.
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Hillier had also said then his work as defence chief was unfinished.
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"I love being a soldier," Hillier said in October. "I still have things to do here in the immediate future, and I intend to do them."
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But later that month, Hillier said it might be "10 years or so" before Afghanistan is strong enough to police itself, a comment that appeared to contradict the Conservative government, which stated in its throne speech that Afghanistan would be able to handle its own security by 2011.
Not one to mince words
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Earlier this year, there was also a report that an angry Hillier called Harper over the government's handling of the Afghan detainee issue.
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His blunt talk made headlines, for example, when he referred to the Taliban as "detestable murderers and scumbags."
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He also raised the ire of some Liberals when he described the period of budget cuts to the military that began in 1994 as the "decade of darkness." The remark prompted then Liberal defence critic Denis Coderre to refer to Hillier as a "prop to the Conservative party."
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Last February, he urged Parliament to come to a quick decision on the country's role in Afghanistan, warning that the longer the debate goes on, the likelier the Taliban would "target us as a perceived weak link."
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But Hillier is viewed as highly popular among the rank-and-file of Canada's military. His own career has spanned three decades - he joined the army right after graduating from Memorial University.
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Before being named chief of defence staff, he was the head of the army and also commanded the NATO-led multinational Afghanistan mission in 2004.