Canada names Anita Anand foreign minister: What to know about her Indian roots

Anita Anand has been appointed as Canada’s new Foreign Minister in a major Cabinet reshuffle announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday. She replaced Mlanie Joly, who will now be in charge of the industry ministry. This change signals a fresh direction for Canada’s foreign affairs team.

Carney, who became Prime Minister after replacing Justin Trudeau earlier this year, recently won national elections. Now, he’s reshaping his team, keeping trusted figures in the lead.

Anand, who is 57 years old, entered into politics in 2019. She is Member of Parliament for Oakville, Ontario. In recent years, she has assumed four key Cabinet portfolios. She served at the Ministry of Public Services and Procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic, where she directed Canada's vaccine acquisitions and health-related commodities. In 2021, she became Defence Minister.

As Defence Minister, Anand oversaw Canada's assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia and addressed sexual misconduct amongst the Canadian Armed Forces.

"Anand led Canada's efforts to provide aid for Ukraine amid the war with Russia and took initiatives to fight sexual misconduct and bring about cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces," according to government records.

Although she was shifted to the Treasury Board in mid 2023 in a step back, she was again placed in a high-profile role in September 2024 as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade.

ANITA ANAND’S INDIAN ROOTS

Anita Anand was born on 20 May 1967 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Her parents – her father Tamil and mother Punjabi – were Indian doctors who migrated to Canada in the early 1960s. Anand received first-class degrees from Dalhousie University, the University of Toronto, and Oxford University.

She taught law at elite universities like Yale before entering into politics. She was a specialist in financial regulation and corporate governance even before she entered public life.

The Mark Carney reshuffle involved 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state. While familiar faces include Franois-Philippe Champagne retaining the Finance Minister's post and Dominic LeBlanc taking care of Canada-US issues and others were replaced. Gary Anandasangaree transferred from Justice to Public Safety, while David McGuinty took up defence.

Carney, who is from a banking background, is prioritising steady economic leadership in response to global challenges.