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Harjit Sajjan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sajjan in 2023 | |
| President of the King's Privy Council for Canada | |
| Assumed office July 26, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Bill Blair |
| Minister of Emergency Preparedness | |
| Assumed office July 26, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Bill Blair |
| Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada | |
| Assumed office October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Minister of International Development | |
| In office October 26, 2021 – July 26, 2023 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Karina Gould |
| Succeeded by | Ahmed Hussen |
| Minister of National Defence | |
| In office November 4, 2015 – October 26, 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Jason Kenney |
| Succeeded by | Anita Anand |
| Minister of Veterans Affairs | |
| Acting February 12, 2019 – March 1, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Justin Trudeau |
| Preceded by | Jody Wilson-Raybould |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence MacAulay |
| Member of Parliament for Vancouver South | |
| Assumed office October 19, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Wai Young |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harjit Singh Sajjan September 6, 1970 Bombeli, Punjab, India |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Kuljit Kaur (m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence(s) | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada[1] |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Police officer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Canada |
| Branch/service |  Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1989–2015[2] |
| Rank |  Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Unit | The British Columbia Regiment |
| Commands | The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Police career | |
| Department | Vancouver Police Department |
| Branch | Gang Crime Unit |
| Status | Retired |
| Rank | Detective |
Harjit Singh Sajjan PC OMM MSM CD MP (/ˈhɑːrdʒiːt ˈsɪŋ ˈsædʒən/, HAR-jeet SING SAJ-ən; born September 6, 1970) is an Indian-born Canadian politician and Army veteran who has served as the minister of emergency preparedness and the president of the Privy Council since July 26, 2023. A member of the Liberal Party, Sajjan represents the British Columbia (BC) riding of Vancouver South in the House of Commons, taking office as Member of Parliament (MP) following the 2015 election.
Sajjan served as the minister of national defence from 2015 to 2021 and minister of international development from 2021 to 2023. Before his entry into politics, Sajjan worked as a detective in the Vancouver Police Department and was a lieutenant-colonel in the Canadian Army. He is Canada's first Sikh minister of national defence,[3] and was also the first Sikh Canadian to command a Canadian Army reserve regiment.
In 2017, Sajjan apologized for exaggerating his role in Operation Medusa, a 2006 military operation in Afghanistan in which he was involved. In 2021, he was censured by vote in the House of Commons for his claims about Operation Medusa, as well as his handling of the issue of sexual assault within the Canadian Armed Forces. In 2024, Sajjan came under criticism for prioritizing the evacuation of Sikhs with no links to Canada during the 2021 fall of Kabul, as well as for requesting troops to appear as backdrop to a pop concert by a Punjabi singer.
- ^ "Official Voting Results". Elections Canada. Archived from the original on April 24, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Pugliese, David (November 10, 2015). "Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan released from military — so he doesn't have to take orders from generals". National Post. Postmedia Network Inc. Postmedia News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ Pugliese, David (April 12, 2018). "Harjit Sajjan orders crackdown as Canadian Forces Facebook page features racist, vulgar comments". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on April 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2018.