OTTAWA: Indo-Canadian Sikh Cabinet Minister Bardish Chagger was sworn-in as the new leader of the government in the House of Commons, making her the first woman to hold the position in the Canadian Parliament. Speaking to the press after the ceremony, Chagger said, "This is a tremendous opportunity. I have been involved in the political process for basically my whole life. I know what democracy should look like. Democracy should be engaging Canadians. That is the leadership of our Prime Minister."
Born and raised in Waterloo, Chagger has held the small business and tourism minister. A rookie MP, she is also one of the four Sikhs, other than Harjit Sajjan, Navdeep Bains, Amarjeet Sohi, to be elected to Trudeau's cabinet in 2015. Chagger, 36, replaces House leader Dominic LeBlanc. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science she worked as an assistant to former Kitchener-Waterloo MP Andrew Telegdi for four years before becoming a community organiser in 2009. Chagger also worked as a volunteer on Trudeau's leadership campaign in 2013.
