Roundtable Luncheon with The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada
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The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs Canada
The Honourable Anita Anand was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019. She has previously served as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, as President of the Treasury Board, as Minister of National Defence, and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
As Minister of Public Services and Procurement, from 2019 to 2021, Minister Anand 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 brought in reforms to address sexual misconduct in the military and to ensure culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces for the benefit of all who serve. During this time, she also led Canada’s efforts to provide comprehensive military aid and personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.
As President of the Treasury Board, Minister Anand spearheaded a government spending review and engaged in work to reduce regulatory burdens for small businesses and entrepreneurs. She also supported the development of the Government of Canada’s first-ever Action Plan for Black Public Servants and the launch of the Greening Government Strategy, helped modernize and strengthen the federal government’s digital capabilities, and revived the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council.
As Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Minister Anand prioritized investments in supply chains and shipping corridors. In the midst of U.S. tariff threats, she pushed to reduce barriers to internal trade between provinces and territories at an unprecedented pace, with the federal government removing more than half the exceptions in the Canadian Free Trade Agreement to open up competition across the country.
As Minister responsible for Innovation, Science and Industry, Minister Anand focused on strengthening Canada’s tech leadership, industrial competitiveness, and economic resilience, while also overseeing the country’s science and innovation agenda. She also announced key supports for Canada’s steel and aluminum sectors.
And now as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister Anand is focused on utilizing strategic diplomacy to advance Canada’s economy. She will be looking to strengthen the country’s collaboration with reliable trading partners and allies around the world while forging new economic relationships.
Minister Anand has worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. She has been a legal academic, including as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, where she held the J.R. Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance. She served as Associate Dean and was a member of the Governing Board of Massey College and the Director of Policy and Research at the Capital Markets Institute, Rotman School of Management. She has also taught law at Yale Law School, Queen’s University, and Western University.
Minister Anand 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.
Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, Minister Anand moved to Ontario in 1985. She and her husband, John, raised their four children in Oakville.
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