Indo-Canadian Sikh named Canada's new Defence Minister:
Ottawa : Harjit Sajjan, an Indo-Canadian
Sikh, was named Canada's new Defence
Minister as Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau's 30-member cabinet was
sworn in at a ceremony in Ottawa on
Wednesday.
Mr Sajjan, a decorated Lt Colonel in the
Canadian Armed Forces who was
elected as a lawmaker for Vancouver
South, is a combat veteran and has
served in Bosnia and had three
deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Justin Trudeau was sworn in as
Canada's 23rd Prime Minister before a
packed crowd, almost 50 years after his
father took on the job.
Mr Sajjan, who is part of Mr Trudeau's
30-member Cabinet that was sworn in
during a ceremony at Rideau Hall, has
received numerous military honours,
including the Meritorious Service Medal
in 2013, for reducing the Taliban's
influence in the Kandahar Province.
"His approach, based on his knowledge
of local culture and tribal dynamics,
helped senior management to engage
with influential Afghan tribal leaders,
and led to the identification of insurgent
command and control connection
points," according to the citation on the
Governor General's website.
Mr Sajjan, who is 45, was born in India
and moved to Canada with his family
when he was five-years-old, CBC News
reported.
As the new Defence Minister, Mr Sajjan
will work with Mr Trudeau on reshaping
Canada's combat mission fighting ISIS
in Iraq and Syria.
Canada's incoming government has
said it will withdraw fighter jets from the
US-led coalition and stick to training
Iraqi troops.
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