Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Anita Anand as the country’s new Minister of Foreign Affairs. A trusted and battle-tested leader in Canada’s Liberal Party, Anand replaces Mélanie Joly, who now takes charge of the Industry Ministry.
This historic appointment marks the first time a Hindu woman has held Canada’s top diplomatic position. In a poignant ceremony at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, Anand took her oath on the Bhagavad Gita, symbolising the profound significance of her Indian heritage in a Western political context. Her elevation comes at a critical juncture, with Canada’s diplomatic ties with India strained and relations with the United States facing recalibration under Carney’s economic-focused administration.
Carney, the former Bank of Canada and Bank of England Governor, stepped into the political vacuum left by Justin Trudeau earlier this year. After winning the national election on April 28, he moved swiftly to consolidate power. His new Cabinet is leaner, trimmed from 39 to 29 ministers, with an emphasis on technocratic competence over political posturing. While keeping key players like Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne and US-Canada trade handler Dominic LeBlanc, Carney opted for bold changes — none more symbolic than Anand’s appointment.
More than a dozen ministers and secretaries were dropped. Among them, Defence Minister Bill Blair and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino were removed, replaced by Anand’s close policy circle members, indicating a possible shift toward Anand-aligned foreign policy thinking.
Anita Anand: From Oakville MP to Global Stateswoman
Anand, 57, entered politics only in 2019, but her meteoric rise has made her a fixture in Canada’s power corridors. A lawyer by training and a former professor at Yale and the University of Toronto, Anand brings academic rigour and legal finesse to the Cabinet table. Her four key Cabinet roles in just six years have prepared her well for this diplomatic challenge.
She first gained national attention as Minister of Public Services and Procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anand negotiated critical vaccine and PPE deals when supply chains were collapsing, earning her the label of Canada’s “pandemic general.” Under her watch, Canada boasted the world’s highest vaccination rate by mid-2021.
In October 2021, she took over as Defence Minister, a position that tested her mettle. She oversaw Canada’s military aid to Ukraine amid the Russian invasion and introduced sweeping reforms to combat sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her leadership was described as “transformational,” particularly in restoring public trust in the military hierarchy.
Though controversially moved to the Treasury Board in mid-2023 a demotion according to political analysts Anand made a quiet but powerful return in December 2024 as Transport Minister, where she focused on sustainable urban infrastructure and climate-resilient logistics.
Now, as Canada’s Foreign Minister, she holds one of the nation’s most powerful and scrutinised portfolios.
Born on May 20, 1967, in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Anita Indira Anand is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Her father, SV Anand, was a Tamil general surgeon; her mother, Saroj, a Punjabi anesthesiologist. They migrated to Canada in the early 1960s and were among the first South Asian families in Nova Scotia.
Anand’s maternal grandfather, VA Sundaram, was a freedom fighter in India’s struggle for independence — adding a legacy of activism to her pedigree. What makes her story especially poignant in the current diplomatic context is her deep Indian connection and the paradox it presents. Despite being of Indian heritage, Anand now leads Canada’s foreign policy machinery at a time when Ottawa’s relationship with New Delhi is arguably at its lowest in decades.
India has long been upset over alleged Canadian political tolerance toward Khalistani elements operating on its soil. Under Trudeau, relations hit rock bottom, especially after the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023. Anand, known for her diplomatic tact and legal precision, could be the bridge or the breaker depending on her stance.
Her personal link to the Sikh community is also significant: her husband, John Knowlton, is the son of a 1984 Sikh Genocide survivor. This link adds layers of complexity to her new role, as she balances historical wounds, domestic pressures, and geopolitical realism.
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