Harjit Sajjan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Harjit Sajjan PC OMM MSM CD MP
Sajjan in 2023
President of the King's Privy Council for Canada
Incumbent
Assumed office July 26, 2023
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Bill Blair
Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Incumbent
Assumed office July 26, 2023
Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Preceded by	Bill Blair
Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
Incumbent
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
Incumbent
Assumed office October 19, 2015
Preceded by	Wai Young
Personal details
Born	Harjit Singh Sajjan (1970-09-06) September 6, 1970 (age 54) Bombeli, Punjab, India
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse	Kuljit Kaur ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	2
Residences	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Police officer
Military service
Allegiance	Canada
Branch/service	Canadian Army
Years of service	1989–2015
Rank	Lieutenant-Colonel
Unit	The British Columbia Regiment
Commands	The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own)
Battles/wars	Bosnian War War in Afghanistan Operation Medusa
Awards	Order of Military Merit Meritorious Service Medal Canadian Forces' Decoration South-West Asia Service Medal General Campaign Star Commendation Medal NATO Service Medal Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
Police career
Current status	Retired
Department	Vancouver Police Department
Rank	Detective

Harjit Singh Sajjan PC OMM MSM CD MP (/ˈhɑːrdʒiːt ˈsɪŋ ˈsædʒən/, har-JEET-_-SING-_-SAJ-ən; born September 6, 1970) is a Canadian politician 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, and was also the first Sikh Canadian to command a Canadian Army reserve regiment.

Early and personal life

Sajjan was born on September 6, 1970, in Bombeli, a village in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India. His father, Kundan Sajjan, was a head constable with the Punjab Police in India, and is currently a member of the World Sikh Organization (WSO), a Sikh advocacy group. Sajjan, along with his mother and older sister, immigrated to Canada in 1976, when he was five years old, to join their father who had left for BC two years earlier to work at a sawmill. While the family was getting established in their new life in Canada, his mother worked on berry farms in BC Lower Mainland during the summer where Sajjan and his sister would frequently join her. Harjit Singh grew up in South Vancouver.

Sajjan married Kuljit Kaur, a family physician in 1996, and they have a son and a daughter, Arjun and Jeevut.

Sajjan was baptized as a Sikh when he was a teenager, seeing it as a way to get away from a bad crowd, such as his classmate Bindy Johal.

Military and police career

Sajjan joined The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own) in 1989 as a trooper and was commissioned as an officer in 1991. He eventually rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He deployed overseas four times in the course of his career: once to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and three times to Afghanistan. Sajjan began his 11-year career as an officer of the Vancouver Police Department after returning from his Bosnian deployment. He ended his career with the Vancouver Police Department as a detective with the department's gang crimes unit specializing organized-crime investigation.

Sajjan's first deployment to Afghanistan was shortly before the start of Operation Medusa in 2006, during which he took leave from his work in the Vancouver Police Department's gang squad. He deployed with the 1st Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment Battle Group in Kandahar and worked as a liaison officer with the Afghan police. Sajjan found that corruption in the Afghan government was driving recruitment to the Taliban. After reporting these findings to Brigadier General David Fraser, Sajjan was tasked with helping the general plan aspects of Operation Medusa.

Fraser evaluated Sajjan's leadership during the operation as "nothing short of brilliant". When Sajjan returned to Vancouver, Fraser sent a letter to the police department which called Sajjan "the best single Canadian intelligence asset in theatre", stated that his work saved "a multitude of coalition lives", and noted that the Canadian Forces should "seek his advice on how to change our entire tactical intelligence training and architecture". Sajjan was mentioned in dispatches for the usefulness of his tactical counterinsurgency knowledge in the planning and implementation of an unnamed operation in September 2006 to secure important terrain.

Upon his return, Sajjan left his position with the Vancouver police, but stayed as a reservist and started his own consulting business that taught intelligence gathering techniques to Canadian and American military personnel. He also consulted for US policy analyst and Afghanistan expert Barnett Rubin, which evolved into a collaboration as advisers to American military and diplomatic leaders in Afghanistan.

Sajjan returned to Afghanistan for another tour of duty in 2009, taking another tour of leave from the Vancouver Police Department to do so. Having already taken two leaves of absence, Sajjan had to leave the Vancouver Police Department for his third tour of duty in 2010, during which he was assigned as a special assistant to then Major-General James L. Terry, the commander of American forces in Afghanistan.

In 2011, he became the first Sikh to command a Canadian Army reserve regiment when he was named commander of The British Columbia Regiment (Duke of Connaught's Own).

He was bestowed with the Meritorious Service Medal in 2012 for diluting the Taliban's influence in Kandahar Province. He has also been awarded the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, the Order of Military Merit award, and served as Aide-de-Camp to the lieutenant governor of British Columbia.

His Sikh beliefs require him to keep his facial hair which prevents the use of regular military gas masks, so Sajjan invented his own gas mask that worked with his beard, and patented it in 1996.

Political career

Sajjan speaking at the Halifax International Security Forum in 2016

Sajjan with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis in 2018

Sajjan was elected for the riding of Vancouver South during the 2015 federal election, defeating Conservative incumbent Wai Young. Sajjan was appointed minister of national defence in the federal Cabinet, headed by Justin Trudeau, on November 4, 2015. He was also briefly acting minister of veterans affairs in February 2019 following the resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould, until the appointment of Lawrence MacAulay to the portfolio.

His alleged links with the Khalistan movement have caused diplomatic friction with Punjab's former chief minister, Amarinder Singh. Harjit Sajjan also has faced allegations from New Democratic Party (NDP) that he is "playing down his connections to the detainee controversy during the [Afghanistan] combat mission [Medusa], where Canadians handed over prisoners to torture by Afghan authorities."

In September 2019, Sajjan attended an event that was held to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, for which he was subsequently criticized by the Conservatives. A spokesperson for Sajjan said that he appeared in his capacity as a candidate for his riding and did not stay for long.

Honours and decorations

Sajjan has received the following honours and decorations during and after his military career.

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Order of Military Merit (OMM)	Appointed Officer (OMM) on 17 October 2012
	Meritorious Service Medal (MSM)	Awarded August 22, 2012 Military Division
	South-West Asia Service Medal	With Clasp "AFGHANISTAN"
	General Campaign Star	South West Asia Ribbon 2 Rotation Bars
	Mentioned in dispatches	Awarded June 4, 2008
	NATO Medal for the former Yugoslavia	with FORMER YUGOSLAVIA clasp
	Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	Decoration awarded in 2002 Canadian version
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	Decoration awarded in 2012 Canadian version
	Canadian Forces' Decoration (CD)	with one Clasp for 22 years of services
	Commendation Medal	From the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America
	Chief of Defence Staff Commendation
	Deputy Minister Award	From the Department of National Defence
	Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards	2016 recipient

Electoral record