Anita Anand, a Canadian politician of Indian origin, was on Tuesday appointed as the defence minister in Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet following...
Anita Anand, a Canadian politician of Indian origin, was on Tuesday appointed as the defence minister in Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet following a reshuffle, reported PTI.
Anand has replaced long-time serving Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, who had faced criticism for his handling of a sexual misconduct crisis in the military. Sajjan has been appointed as minister of international development, the Global News reported.
The Canadian military has faced public and political pressure to create better systems for preventing and handling sexual misconduct allegations. One of the changes demanded is an independent reporting system to ensure allegations of sexual misconduct are handled outside of the chain of command.
Anand was considered as a strong contender for the post by defence industry experts, who had said that her taking the role would send a signal to the victims of sexual misconduct that the government was serious about implementing major reforms in the military, according to Global News.
Anand is the second woman to serve as Canada’s defence minister, reported The Guardian. She previously held the portfolio of the procurement minister.
“One of the things people will be learning about Anita Anand over the next months is [that] she is a world class expert in governance, that she will bring to bear to make sure the Canadian Armed Forces, the...
