ARTICLE

Date ArticleType
3/23/2016 Media Releases
Canada's Defense Minister to Address Kelowna Chamber of Commerce

On Friday April 8, Canada's Minister of Defense, The Hon. Harjit Sajjan, will address a Kelowna Chamber luncheon. Sajjan has been a media darling since his appointment to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet last October.

Sajjan will speak to current military issues in Canada, and how the Liberal government is addressing the challenges.

Harjit Sajjan has served Canada and his community as both a soldier and a police officer, and he is now continuing that commitment to service as the Member of Parliament for the riding of Vancouver South and the Minister of National Defence.

Minister Sajjan was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and a combat veteran. He has deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina and served three separate deployments to Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Minister has received numerous recognitions for his military service, including the Meritorious Service Medal for reducing the Taliban's influence in Kandahar Province. He is also a recipient of the Order of Military Merit - one of the military's highest recognitions - and also served as an Aide-de-Camp to the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Minister Sajjan was a police officer with the Vancouver Police Department for 11 years, completing his last assignment as a Detective-Constable with the Gang Crime Unit specializing in organized crime. He proudly tackled gang violence and drug crimes in Vancouver and is also a Human Security specialist, having lectured to a wide audience in both Canada and the US.

A local connection is Kelowna-Lake Country MP Stephen Fuhr, a retired Canadian Air Force pilot, who was named Chairman of the Standing Committee on National Defence at the end of January 2016. When named to the role, Fuhr said "It is an honour to be elected chair of the committee. I look forward to working with my colleagues on issues of importance and providing meaningful input to the government on matters of defence." Fuhr, a fighter pilot, retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force in 2009 with the rank of Major.

The committee is mandated to review all matters pertaining to the Department of National Defence and the Armed Forces. It is responsible for examining legislation, activities and expenditures of the military and determining the effectiveness of related policies and programs.

The Luncheon, which is open to the community, begins at 12pm; check-in at 11:30 at the Manteo Resort on Lakeshore Road.

Those interested in attending can register at www.kelownachamber.org/events



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