Indian-origin politician Anita Anand was appointed yesterday as the new Defence Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, over a month after his Liberal Party returned power in the snap polls and amid calls for major military reforms.
Ms. Anand, will replace long-time Defence Minister Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan, whose handling of the military sexual misconduct crisis has been under criticism.
The new Cabinet maintains gender balance and has 38 members, up one person from before the election.
Ms. Anand has a deep background as a corporate lawyer and has worked extensively on corporate governance, which refers specifically to the laws and rules in place to manage the operations of businesses. Ms. Anand, along with Sajjan and Bardish Chagger were the three Indo-Canadian Ministers in the dissolved Cabinet who emerged victorious in the Parliamentary polls last month.