Justin Trudeau appoints 3 Indo- Canadians to key parliamentary positions

Three Indian-origin Canadian politicians are among a new team of parliamentary secretaries and other key functionaries announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Maninder Sidhu, who was elected to the House of Commons for the first time in October 2019 from the riding (constituency) of Brampton East, has been named Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development. Arif Virani, who has represented the Parkdale—High Park constituency since 2015, has been appointed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development. Ruby Sahota, a Member of Parliament from Brampton North constituency, will serve as Deputy Government Whip.

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Trudeau said the new team of parliamentary secretaries brings “diverse knowledge, experience, and skills needed to carry out the Government of Canada’s progressive plan and support the unique needs of people and regions across the country.”

“They will help advance new legislation, engage directly with Canadians on key initiatives, and represent the government at home and abroad,” he said in an official press release on Friday.

Parliamentary secretaries are chosen by the prime minister to assist ministers, and their responsibilities are divided into two broad categories: House of Commons business and department-related duties.

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Parliamentary secretaries are not members of Cabinet and do not play a formal role in the Cabinet decision-making process. They support their ministers, but overall responsibility and accountability remains with the minister.

In October, Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand was appointed as the country’s new Defence Minister as Trudeau announced a Cabinet reshuffle over a month after his Liberal Party returned to power in snap polls.

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Anand replaced long-time defence minister, Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan, whose handling of a military sexual misconduct crisis had been under criticism. Sajjan was appointed as Minister of International Development Agency.