VIDEO
Before he became Canada’s Defense Minister, Harjit Sajjan served in both his country’s military and the Vancouver Police Department.
During his military career, Sajjan was deployed once to Bosnia and Herzegovina and three times to Afghanistan, where his roots in South Asia made him an invaluable asset in communicating with Afghans. Sajjan’s police career focused on investigating gangs and organized crime.
These experiences make Sajjan a man of great interest to Ukraine, a country struggling to reform both its military and its law enforcement agencies.
At the Riga Conference, which ran from Sept. 29 to 30, Sajjan discussed the challenges of strengthening the military and law enforcement with Hromadske. He praised Ukraine’s progress so far in reforming its police force and stressed Canada’s commitment to supporting the country.
But he also emphasized the importance of ensuring that international assistance — whether from Canada or other countries — can “be absorbed.”
“You can have the greatest fighting force, but if you can’t sustain it, you’re not going to be able to fight very well,” Sajjan told Hromadske. That, he said, is why implementing reforms is so important.
Hromadske sat down with Harjit Sajjan to get his views on Ukraine’s progress.
