Indian-origin Anita Anand is Canada’s defence minister in latest reshuffles

Ottawa, Oct 26 (UNI) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau undertook a major overhaul of his cabinet on Tuesday, and in one of the biggest changes replaced long-time Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan with Procurement Minister Anita Anand, an Indian-origin Canadian politician.
Trudeau also removed several long-term ministers and shuffled almost all of his government’s senior positions.
Anita Anand (Oakville, MP.) becomes the second woman in Canadian history to take on the role after former prime minister Kim Campbell held the post for half a year in the 1990s before she became leader of the Progressive Party of Canada.
“I, Indira Anita Anand, do solemnly and sincerely promise and swear that I will truly and faithfully and to the best of my skill and knowledge execute the powers and trust reposed in me as minister of national defence. So help me God,” Anand read her oath of office.
Harjit Sajjan (Vancouver South, B.C.), who had been defence minister since the Liberals were first elected in a majority government in 2015, will now be the International Development Minister and minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, the Hill Times said.
Anand will immediately be tasked with addressing the ongoing sexual misconduct crisis that has gripped the top ranks of Canada’s military for months.
The Conservatives and NDP had called for Sajjan’s resignation over accusations that he had failed to respond to the military’s sexual misconduct problems.
Anand has raised her profile while leading Canada’s vaccine procurement efforts during the pandemic.
She will have to do what observers say her predecessor, Harjit Sajjan, failed to do: provide robust civilian oversight of Canada’s armed forces, which has repeatedly proven it is unable to solve on its own a crisis that has been described as an existential threat, The Star said.
She arrives in her new position as the Canadian military continues to be rocked by a sexual misconduct crisis, with a number of senior leaders under investigation or facing charges.
Former chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance is facing an obstruction of justice charge stemming from an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour.
His successor, Adm. Art McDonald, remains on leave after military police declined to lay charges against him in a sexual misconduct probe.
Sajjan had been under fire all year for failing to get the problem under control, and was censured by the House of Commons in June over his handling of the file. There had been mounting pressure on Trudeau to replace him.