Indian-origin Leader becomes Canada’s new Defence Minister

WHY IN THE NEWS?

Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau reshuffled his cabinet. He has appointed Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand as new Defence Minister of Canada.

Key Points

• Prime Minister reshuffled his cabinet after his Liberal Party returned to power in snap polls,
• Furthermore, there were calls for major military reforms. Public and political leaders are putting pressure on Canadian military to change its culture and create a system for preventing and managing sexual misconduct allegations.
• Anita Anand (54-year-old) will replace Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan.
• Harjit Sajjan is a long-term defence minister who was criticized for handling the military sexual misconduct crisis. Though, there are some reports that, Sajjan has been given charge as Minister of International Development Agency.

Why Anita Anand has been appointed?

As per Defence industry experts, Anita Anand is a strong contender for this position. This move will send a strong signal to the survivors and victims of military sexual misconduct. On this issue, government is serious about imposing critical reforms. She also holds a strong background as a corporate lawyer. She has served extensively on corporate governance in line with the rules and laws of managing operations of businesses.

Vote share

Anita Anand was declared winner in Oakville, with 46 per cent vote share. She was first elected as a rookie Member of Parliament in 2019, to represent Oakville in Ontario province. She also worked as procurement minister during the Covid-19 pandemic. Later, she was given charge of securing Covid-19 vaccines for Canada. and was often on the campaign trail with Trudeau.