Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his resignation from both the posts of PM and leader of the Liberal Party. Trudeau's decision has come after months of internal challenges and demands for his removal. Despite stepping down, he has planned to remain in the office until a new leader gets elected.
Along with prominent Canadian leaders, two Indian-origin leaders, Anita Anand and George Chahal, have also emerged as major contenders for this position. Anita Anand has previously been active on many issues related to India.
Who is Anita Anand?
Anita Indira Anand is a Canadian lawyer and politician. She has served as the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade since 2024. She is the first Hindu woman to get elected as a member of Parliament and the first Hindu to become a cabinet minister in Canada as well.
She was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Her parents were Indian physicians. Her father hailed from Tamil Nadu and her mother was from Punjab. She has two sisters. Her elder sister, Gita Anand, is an employment lawyer in Toronto meanwhile her younger sister Sonia Anand, is a physician and researcher at McMaster University.
Anand holds a total of four degrees including a Bachelor of Arts in political studies from Queen's University, a Bachelor of Arts in jurisprudence from Wadham College, Oxford University, a bachelor of laws from Dalhousie University and a master of laws from the University of Toronto. Before her election, she was a law professor at the University of Toronto.
Anita has served as minister of public services and procurement from 2019 to 2021. She has also overseen Canada's procurement of vaccines and personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anita received the 2022 Global Citizen Award by the United Nations Association in Canada. The award is recognized as “role models who have shown generosity, creativity, leadership and solution-seeking, and applied their talents to the challenges they have identified in their local communities, in the country and in the world.”