CHANDIGARH: The 58-year-old Indian-origin Anita Anand has been sworn in as the new foreign minister of Canada in a major Cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
She took an oath of office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita, a tradition she had followed in previous cabinet appointments as well. She had earlier served as the defence minister from 2021-23.
Hindu groups across Canada celebrated her appointment.
41-year-old Maninder Sidhu has also been appointed as Minister of International Trade.
After being sworn in to her new role, Anand wrote on X, "I am honoured to be named Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Mark Carney and our team to build a safer, fairer world and deliver for Canadians."
Her appointment is significant in the context of strained Canada-India relations following the 2023 assassination of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Hindu groups across Canada, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Canada and the Canada Hindu Advocacy Coalition, are celebrating her appointment as they regard her as a source of inspiration for the Canadian Hindu community.
On the other hand, there have been no public reactions from Sikh groups regarding her appointment, which may be attributed to ongoing tensions between Hindu and pro-Khalistani groups in Canada, as well as her past stance on Nijjar’s killing.
While VHP Canada wrote on social media platform X, "VHP Canada team extends heartfelt congratulations to Minister Anita Anand on her appointment as Canada’s foreign minister @AnitaAnandMP. Your leadership continues to inspire the entire Canadian Hindu community and strengthens Canada’s voice on the global stage. Wishing you the very best in your new role!’’
In 2023, Anand had re-tweeted a statement from then-Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly condemning posters targeting Indian diplomats in the wake of Nijjar’s killing. The statement read, "The materials posted online for a protest on July 8 are unacceptable, and they do not represent Canadians.”
She won from Oakville East riding in the House of Commons in the recent federal elections. She had earlier represented the Oakville riding from 2019 to 2025 and was Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Minister of National Defence, Transport and Internal Trade and President of the Treasury Board.
Anand was born on May 20, 1967 in Kentville, Nova Scotia, to Indian immigrant doctor parents, Saroj D Ram and SV Anand, who migrated to Canada from India in the early 1960s. Her mother is from Punjab, and her father is from Tamil Nadu and has two sisters, Gita and Sonia. In 1995 she got married to John Knowlton, a lawyer and business executive and have four children and live in Oakville.
The relations between both countries have been severely strained since the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023, as the then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian officials and India vehemently denied these allegations, resulting in the mutual expulsion of diplomats.
The Khalistani issue has been a bone of contention in the relations of both countries. As per the 2021 census, there are 771,790 sikh Diaspora in Canada, which plays a significant role in the domestic politics of Canada.
In 2019 Singh was first elected and has been active in various parliamentary committees. He did a short stint as the parliamentary secretary to the Foreign Minister. "An honour of a lifetime to be appointed as Canada’s International Trade Minister. I’m grateful to Prime Minister @MarkJCarney for the confidence he’s placed in me to diversify trade, support Canadian businesses in reaching new global markets, and help create good-paying jobs across Canada. I’m proud to stand alongside my colleagues as we work together to build the fastest-growing economy in the G7,’’ he wrote on X.
