Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand was on October 26 appointed as the country's new Defence Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, over a month after his Liberal Party returned power in the snap polls and amid calls for major military reforms.
Ms. Anand (54) will replace long-time Defence Minister Indian-origin Harjit Sajjan, whose handling of the military sexual misconduct crisis has been under criticism.
Mr. Sajjan has been appointed as Minister of International Development Agency, a report in the National Post newspaper said.
The new Cabinet maintains gender balance and has 38 members, up one person from before the election, it said.
According to a report in Global News, Ms. Anand has been touted as a strong contender for weeks among defence industry experts who said that moving her into the role would send a powerful signal to survivors and victims of military sexual misconduct that the government is serious about implementing major reforms.