Anita Anand, an Indian-origin MP, bowed out of Canada’s Prime Ministerial race on the weekend and announced that she would not seek re-election from Parliament. Anand is serving as the Transport Minister. On Saturday, Anita Anand said that she is following outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s example and will begin the next chapter of her career by returning to academia.
In a post on X, Anand said, “Today I am announcing that I will not be entering the race to become the next Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and will not be seeking re-election as the Member of Parliament for Oakville. I will continue to honourably execute my roles as a public office holder until the next election.”
“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 analyses,” she added.
Speaking about her origin, Anand said, “Prior to seeking public office, I was a lawyer and law professor for over twenty years, most recently at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto where, as a full professor and chairholder, my intellectual focus was on capital markets regulation and governance. After the 2019 election, I took a leave of absence, intending to return one day to academia. The joy and fulfillment that I take in our current work – collaborating with the Prime Minister, my Cabinet colleagues, our caucus and the broader team – delayed this decision.”
Anita Indira Anand, born on 20 May 1976, is a Canadian lawyer, academic and politician who is serving as the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade since 2024. Anand holds four degrees: a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in political studies from Queen’s University; a Bachelor of Arts (honours) in jurisprudence from Wadham College, Oxford University; a bachelor of laws from Dalhousie University; and a master of laws from the University of Toronto. She was called to the Ontario Bar in 1994.
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