Trudeau cabinet minister wanted to use Canada’s military as backdrop for Punjabi singer

Trudeau cabinet minister Harjit Sajjan wanted to use Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel as a backdrop for Punjabi pop star Diljit Dosanjh. Dosanjh, a Sikh from the Punjab region of India, is a well-known entertainer in that country.

As first reported in The Globe and Mail, Sajjan, who was minister of national defense for six years, received a request in April for uniformed military personnel to participate as in Dosanjh's Vancouver performance on Apr. 27.

It is unclear whether the CAF members were expected to sing or dance. As defense minister in 2017, Sajjan presented Dosanjh with a medal while the singer was touring Canada.

According to a statement from Sajjan, who is now the minister for emergency preparedness, the request was forwarded, "along with his endorsement" to current Minister of National Defence Bill Blair, who asked the CAF to assess the request.

"Minister Sajjan agreed the concert would be a good opportunity for the Canadian Armed Forces 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," said Sajjan's press secretary Joanna Kanga.

The Department of National Defence told CBC News that it although it assessed Sajjan's request it "determined that meeting this request would not be feasible due to the tight timeline and personnel availability."

"It is crucial that participation in such events does not impact domestic or international operations, and our operational readiness must be sustained at all times," the statement read.

The story is just the latest revelation about a minister who has demonstrated his commitment to the Trudeau government’s identity politics. In June, The Globe and Mail noted how Sajjan had "instructed Canadian special forces to rescue about 225 Afghan Sikhs" during the evacuation of Kabul in 2021. They were "not considered an operational priority for the Canadian military as they had no link to Canada.”

Afghan Sikhs donated to his constituency association during the evacuation efforts. The minister has repeatedly blamed his bad press on racism. Sajjan has also been forced to apologize for greatly exaggerating his role in the fight against the Taliban while he was deployed as a Reserve member of the CAF in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted a statement on X about his enthusiasm for Dosanjh, saying "Canada is a great country — one where a guy from Punjab can make history and sell out stadiums." Singh objected to Trudeau, describing Dosanjh as "a guy from Punjab" instead of coming from India.

Trudeau created international news and criticism when he visited India in 2018 and posed for the cameras wearing traditional Indian clothing. Trudeau’s accolades for Dosanjh were criticized by Manjinder Singh Sarsa on behalf of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, who said Trudeau was guilty of "deliberate mischief through wordplay."