Defence Minister Peter MacKay and wife expecting 1st child

CBC News

Posted: Sep 7, 2012 9:10 AM ET

Last Updated: Sep 7, 2012 11:46 AM ET

Defence Minister Peter MacKay, right, and Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay are going to be parents for the first time, his office has confirmed. (Sean Kilpatrick/Canadian Press)

Defence Minister Peter Mackay and his wife, Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, are expecting their first child.

MacKay's office confirmed the news Friday morning, but declined further comment. A message on Afshin-Jam's Facebook page said the baby is due "around spring time."

The couple married in Mexico on Jan. 4.

In an interview that month, MacKay told the CBC's George Stroumboulopoulos that he was "really happy" but wants to keep his private life out of the spotlight.

Afshin-Jam MacKay, an Iranian-born human rights activist, pop singer and former Miss World runner-up, has not been shy of the media spotlight, however.

She has made appearances recently to talk about her book, The Tale of Two Nazanins, which recounts her efforts to save a 17-year-old woman from execution in Iran, and has spoken out against the ruling regime in her former homeland.

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