Anita Anand, a seasoned Canadian politician of Indian descent, has been appointed as Canada’s new Foreign Minister in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly formed cabinet. The 58-year-old took the oath of office on Tuesday, succeeding Mélanie Joly, who now assumes the role of Minister of Industry.
This is not Anita Anand’s first time serving in the federal cabinet. Most recently, she held the position of Minister of National Defence in former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration, where she earned recognition for her leadership and expertise.
Following her swearing-in, Anand shared a message on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I am honoured to be appointed as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. Under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s leadership, I will work towards building a safer and more prosperous world for all Canadians.”
Anand, elected from Oakville in the province of Ontario, was born on 20 May 1967 in Nova Scotia, a province in eastern Canada. Her mother, Saroj D. Ram, was from Punjab, and her father, S.V. Anand, hailed from Tamil Nadu. The couple immigrated to Canada in the early 1960s.
When Anita was 18 years old, her family moved from Nova Scotia to Ontario in 1985. She earned her undergraduate degree from a university in Ontario before studying law at the University of Oxford in the UK. She later pursued postgraduate degrees from Dalhousie University and the University of Toronto.
In 1995, Anita Anand married Canadian lawyer and businessman John Knowlton. The couple has four children and resides in Oakville, Ontario.
Anand is a follower of the Hindu faith. During her swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday, she held the Bhagavad Gita, the sacred scripture of Hinduism, in her hand.
Notably, Anita Anand is the first Hindu politician in Canadian history to be appointed to the federal cabinet. She first entered the cabinet in 2019, marking a historic moment for both Canada’s political and cultural landscape.
