Toronto, March 20: Indo-Canadian Maninder Sidhu was appointed as a parliamentary secretary to International Development Minister Karina Gould  by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Reacting to the development, Maninder Sidhu, a first-term Parliament member, said he was "excited and truly honoured". Sidhu replaces another Indo-Canadian lawmaker Kamal Khera. Indian-Origin Jagmeet Singh Makes History in Canada's Parliament, Debuts as First Non-White Opposition Leader.

Sidhu’s appointment was part of a reshuffle done by PM Justin Trudeau. "Parliamentary secretaries support ministers to deliver real, positive results for Canadians. I am confident that this team’s dedication, skills, and experience will help us continue to fight the global COVID-19 pandemic, keep Canadians safe and supported, and build a more resilient Canada for everyone," Trudeau said in a statement. Canada PM Justin Trudeau Shuffles Cabinet After Indian-Origin Sikh Minister Navdeep Bains Steps Down.

Who Is Maninder Sidhu?

Maninder Sidhu is among 23 Indo-Canadians who were elected to Canada's House of Commons in the 2019 general elections. He was elected to the House of Commons for the first time from Brampton East. A Sikh by faith, Sidhu hails from India's Punjab state. Prior to venturing into politics in Canada, he would run a customs brokerage business.

Sidhu is an alumnus of the University of Waterloo. He is married and has two daughters. Arif Virani is the other Indian-origin parliamentary secretary in the government. Indo-Canadians comprise 3 per cent of the population of Canada. There are three Indo-Canadians in Trudeau’s cabinet - Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand and Diversity and Inclusion and Youth Minister Bardish Chagger.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 20, 2021 02:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).