When General Rick Hillier stepped down as Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces in July 2008, Ottawa breathed a complicated sigh, the kind that mingles genuine relief with deep admiration.
For three and a half years, Hillier had been the most recognisable, quotable, and consequential military leader Canada had produced in decades.
He had overhauled the command structure of the Canadian Forces, restored morale battered by the Somalia affair, launched Canada into a new era of combat operations in Afghanistan, and reshaped what Canadians thought of when they thought of their military.
He had done all of this with a plain-spoken, Newfoundland-accented directness almost unprecedented in Canadian military and political communication.
Born on June 30, 1955, in Campbellton, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Rick Hillier grew up as the only boy among six children in a small coastal community. He joined the Canadian Forces at seventeen, studied biology at Memorial University, and spent three decades climbing through every level of the military hierarchy, from junior officer in Germany to brigade commander in Canada, from multinational division commander in Bosnia to corps deputy in Texas, from NATO-ISAF commander in Afghanistan to the highest military rank in Canada. Every step was earned. And he never stopped speaking plainly about what he believed.
Since retirement he has built a distinguished second career as a public speaker on leadership, an author, Chancellor of Memorial University, and most recently as the leader of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force. He remains one of the most respected public figures Canada has produced in the modern era.
Profile
| Full Name | Rick J. Hillier, OC, CMM, ONL, MSC, CD |
| Born | June 30, 1955 |
| Age | 70 years old |
| Birthplace | Campbellton, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, Canada |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | Retired General, Author, Public Speaker |
| Parents | Jack Hillier (father), Myrtle Hillier (mother) |
| Spouse | Joyce Hillier |
Early Life
Rick Hillier was born on June 30, 1955, in Campbellton, Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, a small coastal community where fishing and the rhythms of the sea shaped daily life.
The only boy among six children of Jack and Myrtle Hillier, he attended Greenwood High School, graduating in June 1972. From an early age he was determined to join the military. At sixteen, with his father’s permission, he applied to the Canadian Forces.
He initially wanted to be a fighter pilot but failed the medical examination, and was rejected by the Royal Military College.
He enrolled at Memorial University of Newfoundland, met his wife Joyce there, and completed his degree while pursuing a military commission through the Regular Officer Training Program. He graduated from Memorial in 1975 with a BSc in Biology and was commissioned into the Canadian Forces.
Education
General Hillier holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Memorial University of Newfoundland (1975).
His military professional development included the US Army Armour Officer Advanced Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky; the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto (1988); and advanced training consistent with each subsequent promotion through the ranks.
His real education, however, came through three decades of commanding troops at every level from platoon to multi-national formation across Canada, Europe, the United States, and Afghanistan.
Career
Rick Hillier was commissioned and posted to his first regiment, the 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise’s) in Petawawa, Ontario. He subsequently served with the Royal Canadian Dragoons in Lahr, Germany, commanding a squadron in 1985. His career progressed through staff officer roles at Force Mobile Command Headquarters in Montreal and National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa, where he became a Colonel in 1994 and served as chief of operations with the UN peacekeeping force in the former Yugoslavia in 1995. Promoted to Brigadier General in July 1996, he was given command of the 2nd Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group (2 CMBG) in Petawawa.
His first major national profile came in January 1998 when he led Operation Recuperation, the Canadian Forces’ response to the devastating ice storm that paralysed Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick, involving over 15,000 military personnel. In July 1998 he became the first Canadian ever appointed Deputy Commanding General of the US Army’s III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, and was promoted to Major General in March 1999. In 2000 he commanded NATO’s Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was named Chief of the Land Staff, Commander of the Canadian Army, on May 30, 2003. In February 2004, before assuming his duties as CDS, he commanded NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan from February 9 to August 12, 2004, approximately 6,000 troops from 35 nations, the largest multinational force led by a Canadian since the 1956 Suez Crisis. His command helped establish the security conditions enabling Afghanistan’s first democratic elections in October 2004.
On February 4, 2005, Hillier became Chief of the Defence Staff, the highest military position in Canada. In that role he was known for his plain-spoken language, his unflinching advocacy for the men and women of the Canadian Forces, and his willingness to speak publicly about the nature of Canada’s military mission. He memorably described the Taliban as “detestable murderers and scumbags” and said plainly that the role of the Canadian Forces was “to be able to kill people”, comments that drew criticism from some quarters but were widely understood by the military community as honest description of combat reality. He overhauled the Forces’ command structure, championed significant procurement, and relaunched a combat mission in Kandahar that fundamentally changed the Canadian Forces’ role in NATO. He announced his retirement on April 15, 2008, effective July 1, 2008. Upon retirement he was appointed Chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland (from July 3, 2008), joined the public speaking circuit with a focus on “leadership in tough times,” and co-founded Project Hero in 2009, a scholarship programme for the children of Canadian Forces personnel killed on active duty. In 2020–2021 he led Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution task force, overseeing distribution of Health Canada–approved vaccines to the province’s population, a major logistical challenge he met with the same operational clarity that defined his military career.
Honours & Recognitions
- Officer of the Order of Canada (OC), 2011, “for his service to our nation, which has inspired pride in our Canadian Forces”
- Commander of the Order of Military Merit (CMM)
- Member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador (ONL), 2014
- Meritorious Service Cross (MSC)
- Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)
- First Canadian to serve as Deputy CG of US Army III Corps
- Commanded the largest multinational Canadian-led force since Suez (ISAF Afghanistan, 2004)
- Highest-ranking Newfoundland and Labrador officer in history
- Chancellor, Memorial University of Newfoundland (from 2008)
- Co-founder, Project Hero scholarship programme (2009)
- Chair, TELUS Atlantic Canada Community Board
- Lincoln Alexander Outstanding Leader Award, University of Guelph
- Author, A Soldier First: Bullets, Bureaucrats and the Politics of War (HarperCollins, 2010), CBA Libris Award winner
Social Media
General Hillier is occasionally active on social media and through his public speaking agency.
- Twitter/X: @General_Hillier
Personal Life
Rick Hillier married Joyce at Memorial University of Newfoundland, where they met while both were students.
The couple have lived through the demands of a senior military career together, postings across Canada, Germany, the United States, and tours connected to Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Joyce has been a constant presence throughout his public career. After retirement the couple continued to live in Canada. Hillier is known for his physical fitness, approachability in person, and a humour that reflects his Newfoundland roots.
He has spoken warmly in public about the importance of family as an anchor through the pressures of senior military command.
Net Worth
General Rick Hillier’s net worth is not publicly documented.
His income since retirement derives from his substantial public speaking career (focused on leadership in tough times), royalties from A Soldier First, his chancellorship of Memorial University, board and advisory roles including with TELUS, and his work with Project Hero and the Ontario vaccine task force.
As one of Canada’s most sought-after leadership speakers, his speaking fees and advisory income represent a significant post-service revenue stream.
Political Career Timeline
- Officer, 8th Canadian Hussars, Petawawa (from 1975)
- Squadron commander, Royal Canadian Dragoons, Germany (1985)
- Staff officer, Force Mobile Command HQ, Montreal; NDHQ, Ottawa
- UN Peacekeeping, former Yugoslavia, chief of operations (1995)
- Commander, 2 Canadian Mechanised Brigade Group, Petawawa (from 1996)
- Operation Recuperation, ice storm, Ontario/Quebec/New Brunswick (January 1998)
- First Canadian Deputy CG, US Army III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas (from July 1998)
- Commander, NATO Multinational Division (SW), Bosnia-Herzegovina (2000)
- Chief of the Land Staff, Commander, Canadian Army (from May 30, 2003)
- Commander, NATO ISAF, Afghanistan (February 9 – August 12, 2004)
- Chief of the Defence Staff (February 4, 2005 – July 1, 2008)
- Chancellor, Memorial University of Newfoundland (from July 3, 2008)
- Co-founder, Project Hero (2009)
- Lead, Ontario COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force (2020–2021)
Conclusion
General Rick Hillier’s legacy in Canadian public life rests on two achievements above all: he restored pride in the Canadian Forces at a moment when they desperately needed it, and he led those Forces into the most demanding combat mission Canada had undertaken in half a century.
Both achievements required the same qualities, plain speaking, genuine care for the people under his command, and a willingness to say publicly what most military and political figures prefer to leave unsaid.
Whether those qualities made him “controversial” depended entirely on who was listening. For the men and women of the Canadian Forces, they made him simply trusted.
His second career, as speaker, author, educator, and public servant through the COVID vaccine rollout, has extended that legacy into new domains.
At 70, Rick Hillier remains a commanding presence in Canadian public life, and his influence on how Canada thinks about its military, its leadership, and its obligations to those who serve continues to be felt.