Ottawa, May 14
Canada's Foreign Minister Indira Anita Anand, who will be charting Canada's course through its reset with India and the brittle ties with the United States, is an academic-turned-politician.
Anand had a fast rise in politics since her election to parliament in 2019, cycling through the ministries of procurement, defence, internal trade, transport, and industry before assuming the foreign affairs portfolio earlier today, India time.
When the Labour Party's fortune seemed low earlier this year and former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was quitting, Anita also said she was leaving politics and returning to academia.
"Now that the Prime Minister has made his decision to move to his next chapter, I have determined the time is right for me to do the same, and to return to my prior professional life of teaching, research, and public policy analysis," she said in January.
But as the party made a remarkable comeback under Prime Minister Mark Carney, she decided to run for re-election.
Carney also persuaded her to stay on in government.
The first Hindu woman elected to Canada's parliament and the first Hindu to become a minister, she took her oath of office with the Bhagavad Gita.
Her father, S V Anand was the son of a freedom-fighter from Tamil Nadu, V A Sundaram, and her mother Saroj Ram was from Punjab, and both were doctors who immigrated to Canada.
About her entry into politics, she said, "During my first campaign, many people told me that a woman of Indian descent would not get elected in Oakville, Ontario. Yet, Oakville rallied behind me not once but twice since 2019, an honour that I will hold in my heart forever".
And her constituents repeated it for the third time in April.
On her quick rise in government, she wrote, "Back in 2019, I could never have imagined that such work would mean navigating supply chains to overcome a global pandemic, addressing sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces, ensuring military aid reached Ukraine, overseeing the Treasury Board Secretariat or reinforcing Canada's Transportation systems."
In her first assignment as the public services and procurement minister in Trudeau's cabinet, she made her mark during the Covid pandemic ensuring Canada had enough medical equipment and vaccines, some of which were imported from India.
That was her steppingstone to become the high-profile defence minister in 2021.
During her tenure, Russia invaded Ukraine, and she mobilised Canadian support for Kyiv.
Next in 2023, she was made the president of the Treasury Board, a ministerial level post with broad oversight of government operations and responsibility for annual federal expenditures of $450 billion and about 300,000 federal workers.
And along the way, she simultaneously picked up the internal trade and transport portfolios.
An expert in business and finance law, she was a tenured law professor at the University of Toronto and did stints as a visiting lecturer at Yale University.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's inspiring to see someone of Indian origin rise so quickly in Canadian politics! Her handling of vaccine procurement during COVID was impressive. Hope she can bring this efficiency to improving India-Canada relations which have been strained lately. 🇮🇳ðŸ¤ðŸ‡¨ðŸ‡¦
While her achievements are commendable, I hope she doesn't forget her Indian roots when dealing with bilateral issues. Canada's stance on Khalistani elements has been concerning. As FM, she should ensure Canada doesn't become a safe haven for anti-India activities.
Interesting how she took oath on Bhagavad Gita! Shows our cultural influence abroad. But real test will be how she balances Canadian interests with fair treatment of India. The diaspora expects better from leaders with Indian heritage.
Her parents being doctors from Tamil Nadu and Punjab is such a typical Indian story 😊 Makes me proud! Hope she can be a bridge between our countries. But please madam, no more lectures to India about human rights - focus on fixing Canada's own problems first!
From procurement to defense to foreign affairs in just 5 years? Either she's exceptionally talented or Canadian politics has serious shortage of capable leaders. Anyway, good luck to her - managing relations with both US and India won't be easy.
As an Indian woman, I find her story motivating! Breaking barriers in foreign politics while maintaining her identity. Though I wish media wouldn't focus so much on her being 'first Hindu woman' - her capabilities matter more than her religion.
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