Minister Sajjan Defends Request to Use Soldiers as Backdrop for Punjabi Concert

Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan has defended an official request he made to use Canadian Armed Forces soldiers as a backdrop for a concert by a Punjabi pop star. “Minister Sajjan agreed the concert would be a good opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to engage with and expand connect to a diverse community of young Canadians, along the lines of the CAF outreach and recruiting events at professional sporting events,” Sajjan’s press secretary Joanna Kanga told CBC News in an email. In April, Sajjan received a letter asking if Canadian military members would participate in a show by pop star Diljit Dosanjh in Vancouver to be held later that month. Sajjan endorsed the event because Dosanjh is the “biggest Punjabi artist in the world” and the artist’s tour was to be a “moment of pride for Canadians of Punjabi descent,” Kanga said....