20

May

Anita Anand First Hindu Foreign Minister Of Canada

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A person wearing a red turban AI-generated content may be incorrect.Suave, sober and assertive Anita Anand has done Canada’s South Asian community proud. On Wednesday, she was sworn in as Canada’s first Hindu Foreign Minister to add yet another feather to her distinct cap.

For 25 members of the House of Commons of South Asian descent, the swearing in of the new Council of Ministers headed by banker-turned-politician Mark Carney marked a new beginning.

The community could not have asked for more, as six of its members—four as Cabinet Ministers and two as Secretaries of State—have been inducted into Carney’s new Council of Ministers.

Prime Minister Carney has also tried to maintain gender equity by naming 14 men and an equal number of women in his Cabinet, excluding himself. Six of his Secretaries of State are men, and the remaining four are women. Besides Anita Anand, Ruby Sahota is the other woman of South Asian descent to figure in the new Council of Ministers.

Mark Carney preferred Anita Anand as Minister of Foreign Affairs to her predecessor  Melanie Joly, who has now been named as Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for the Quebec regions, and Registrar General.

Maninder Sidhu, on elevation as Cabinet Minister, becomes Minister of International Trade.

Ruby Sahota will be Secretary of State for combating crime, and Randeep Serai has been named Secretary of State for International Development.

Column at a Glance
Anita Anand has made history as Canada’s first Hindu Foreign Minister, marking a significant achievement for the South Asian community. Her swearing-in coincides with the appointment of six other South Asian members in Prime Minister Mark Carney's new Council of Ministers, which emphasizes gender equity with an equal number of men and women. Anand, who has held various ministerial roles, including Minister of National Defence, is recognized for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and her efforts in military aid to Ukraine.
Tuesday Twist
By Prabhjot Singh
Her appointment is particularly notable given the current tensions between Canada and India, highlighting the need for improved relations. The new cabinet also includes Maninder Sidhu as Minister of International Trade and Ruby Sahota as Secretary of State for combating crime, reflecting the growing representation of South Asians in Canadian politics as the community celebrates its 75th anniversary in the country.

Other than Anita Anand, Mark Carney named five other South Asians, including  Gary Anandasangaree,  Shafqat Ali, Maninder Sidhu, Ruby Sahota and Randeep Serai in his new Council of Ministers. Ruby Sahota and Randeep Serai would not sit in Cabinet meetings but would hold charge as Secretaries of State in different departments.

Shafqat Amanat Ali was born into a Punjabi Muslim family in Lahore, to noted classical singer, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and his wife Almas Amanat Ali Khan, on 26 February 1965, making him the seventh generation of the Patiala Gharana, which was founded in the mid-late 19th century by his great-grandfather. He has made a name in the Real Estate industry in the Greater Toronto Area.

Anita Anand has been the toast of ceremonies, for she continues to be in the top echelons of Canadian politics.

58-year-old lawyer, academician and accomplished politician, Anita Anand has been going through her most eventful year of her career. She was the first Hindu to become a federal minister in Canada when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named her the first woman Defence Minister of the country. Later in her previous term, she was also the President of the Treasury Board and the Transport Minister.

After Deepak Ubhrai, the longest-serving Member of the House of Commons representing the Canadian Hindu Community, Anita Anand has been holding the fort for the present without ever getting involved in partisan politics. Deepak Ubhrai represented Alberta in the House of Commons for seven successive terms.

Incidentally, the new Canadian Prime Minister was elected from a riding in Nepean, in the capital city of Ottawa, after the candidature of another sitting Hindu MP, Chandra Arya, was revoked.

In December last year, when internal strife started rocking the minority Liberal Government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered to quit both as Leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister of Canada.

Anita Anand was considered one of the front runners as a replacement for Justin Trudeau. She, however, preferred to stay aloof. Instead, she announced that she would prefer to go back to academics and take a break from politics.

Chandra Arya was among the first to announce his candidature for the Liberal Party leadership. The election committee of the Liberal Party, however, did not proceed with his candidature on technical grounds.

Since Mark Carney holds Anita Anand in high esteem, he reportedly persuaded Anita Anand to change her mind and contest again. She agreed and returned to retain her seat in the House of Commons to become the Foreign Minister.

More about Anita Anand

Anita Anand was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019. She was re-elected in 2021. She served most recently as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry and has previously served as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, President of the Treasury Board, Minister of National Defence, and Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

As Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Anita led contract negotiations to secure vaccines, personal protective equipment, and rapid tests for Canadians during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, as Minister of National Defence, she spearheaded initiatives to tackle sexual misconduct and bring about cultural change in the Canadian Armed Forces. She also led Canada’s efforts to provide military aid and personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

As President of the Treasury Board, Anita spearheaded a government-wide spending review and worked to reduce red tape for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Her time at Transport Canada yielded Canada's first-ever high-speed rail project and historic progress in eliminating interprovincial trade barriers.

In her latest portfolio, Anita has been focused intently on protecting Canadian workers and industries in the face of President Trump's unjustified trade war.

Anita is a scholar, lawyer, researcher, and mother of four children. Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, she moved to Ontario in 1985. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994.

Anita and her husband, John, raised their four children in Oakville. She is a devoted leader with a proven record of service. In her Oakville community, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse Foundation for Grieving Children, Oakville Hospital Foundation, and Oakville Hydro Electricity Distribution Inc.

South Asians in the 45th House of Commons

Members of the 45th House of Commons of South Asian descent could not have asked for more. They ended with a bagful of  Cabinet and Secretaries of State berths in Mark Carney’s new Council of Ministers that took an oath at a solemn ceremony on Tuesday.

Incidentally, it is the 75th anniversary of South Asians in Canadian politics. In 1950 Giani Naranjan Singh Grewal had made a triumphant entry in Canadian politics when he was elected as a member of the Mission City Council in British Columbia. Since then the community has come a long way.

Prime Minister Carney has also tried to maintain gender equity by naming 14 men and an equal number of women in his Cabinet, excluding himself. Six of his Secretaries of State are men, and the remaining four are women.

Mark Carney named Anita Anand as Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Melanie Joly, who has now been named as Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for the Quebec regions, and Registrar General.

Maninder Sidhu, on elevation as Cabinet Minister, becomes Minister of International Trade.

Ruby Sahota will be Secretary of State for combating crime, and Randeep Serai has been named Secretary of State for International Development.

Other than Anita Anand, Mark Carney named five other South Asians, including  Gary Anandasangaree,  Shafqat Ali, Maninder Sidhu, Ruby Sahota and Randeep Serai in his new Council of Ministers. Ruby Sahota and Randeep Serai would not sit in Cabinet meetings but would hold charge as Secretaries of State in different departments.

Shafqat Amanat Ali was born into a Punjabi Muslim family in Lahore, to noted classical singer, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and his wife Almas Amanat Ali Khan, on 26 February 1965, making him the seventh generation of the Patiala Gharana, which was founded in the mid-late 19th century by his great-grandfather. He made a name in the Real Estate.

Anita Anand’s appointment also becomes significant as Canada’s relations with India are far from cordial. Both India and Canada have to discard acrimony to restore the bonhomie that the two nations once enjoyed.

For the immigrant community, the most important portfolio is that of the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Mark Carney has named Lena Metlege Diab as the new Minister of immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. The immigrants would be looking forward to new and favourable changes in the immigration policies after several radical changes were made in the last six months of the previous Liberal government.

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