Indian-origin Anita Anand named Canada’s defence minister

New Delhi, October 27:In the major development, Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand has been appointed as the new Defence Minister of Canada in the latest cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

 

 

She was sworn in at the Rideau Hall in Ottawa. Anand replaced Harjit Sajjan as the defence minister. Notably, Sajjan was criticised for his handling of military sexual misconduct.

 

Anand hails from Nova Scotia and her Indian parents were both medical professionals. Her mother Saroj D Ram was a native of Punjab while her father SV Anand was from Tamil Nadu. Anand had won the election from Oakville with a nearly 46 percent vote share. She first entered the Parliament in 2019 from Oakville in Ontario province and was Minister of Public Services and Procurement throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

She has been touted as a strong contender for weeks among defence industry experts who said that moving her into the role would send a powerful signal to survivors and victims of military sexual misconduct that the government is serious about implementing major reforms.

 

While talking to the reporters, Anand said that her top priority is to make everyone feel safe in the armed forces. "My top priority is to make sure that everyone in the Armed Forces feels safe and protected and that they have the support that they need when they need them, and the structures in place to ensure that justice is served," Anand said.

 

The cabinet reshuffle came the Trudeau-led Liberal Party returned to power in the snap elections and amid calls for major military reforms.

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