Canada gets first Sikh defence minister
Thursday, 05/11/2015
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TORONTO: As Justin Trudeau was sworn in as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada at the historic Rideau Hall in Ottawa, the Indo-Canadian community also had much to celebrate, with four MPs of Indian origin part of the new ruling Liberal Party Cabinet.
Harjit Sajjan took charge as the new minister for national defence. He will be the first Sikh to handle the high-profile portfolio. Born in Punjab, Sajjan is a first-time MP, elected from Vancouver South. A native of Vancouver, he was a detective for the Gang Crime Unit, which is of particular significance given the prevalence of Indo-Canadian gangs in that metropolitan region.
Sajjan went on to military service and served three deployments in Afghanistan, playing an intelligence role in that country. In 2011, he became the first commander of an army regiment of Sikh-origin as he took charge of the British Columbia Regiment.
Also joining the Cabinet as the minister of innovation, science and economic development is Navdeep Bains. Bains played a critical role in marshalling the Liberal Party’s campaign in the Brampton and Mississauga suburban parts of Toronto that have a high density of the Indo-Canadian community.
The next is Amarjeet Sohi, taking over as minister of infrastructure and communities. He’s a former city councillor who defeated Indo-Canadian minister Tim Uppal by less than 100 votes in the October federal elections.
The youngest member in this four-member contingent is 34-year-old Bandish Chagger. Chagger was elected as a firstterm MP from Waterloo in the province of Ontario and now becomes Minister of Small Business and Tourism.
Other major portfolios include minister of finance Bill Morneau and minister of foreign affairs Stephane Dion.
Meanwhile, the new ministers arrived to traditional Aboriginal drumming and Trudeau, the second-youngest PM in Canadian history was conferred his oath of office to applause within the Hall.
