Trudeau's cabinet brings pride to Sikh community
CBC News | Posted: November 6, 2015 2:11 PM | Last Updated: November 6, 2015
Minister of Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan among 4 Sikhs named to top jobs by new PM
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week his newly named cabinet "looked like Canada," and the diversity goes much further than appointing an equal number of men and women.
Four Sikhs — a big portion of Trudeau's smaller cabinet — were among the 30 ministers sworn in on Wednesday.
Two of them wear turbans and hold powerful ministries, most notably Minister of Defence Harjit Singh Sajjan.
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Sajjan's appointment is widely seen as the most symbolically powerful, according to Bupinder Hundal, a Vancouver journalist who covers the Sikh community.
"A man in a turban and a beard responsible for a Western country's military — that sends a real strong message, and in the community that's a real sense of pride," he said.
Others named to cabinet include:
- Amarjeet Sohi, minister of infrastructure and communities.
- Bardish Chagger, minister of small business and tourism.
- Navdeep Bains, minister of science and economic development.