Anita Anand, the Indian-origin Canadian politician, was sworn in as the new defence minister of Canada on October 26, following a cabinet reshuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

She is only the second woman to hold the portfolio after Kim Campbell in 1993.

After being sworn in, Anand tweeted: “It is my sincere honour to be sworn in today as minister of national defence. Thank you @JustinTrudeau for entrusting me with this portfolio.”

Anand was born in 1967 in Nova Scotia to Saroj D. Ram, a native of Punjab, and S.V. Anand from Tamil Nadu. While her mother is an anaesthesiologist, her father is a surgeon. She has two sisters -- one a doctor and researcher, and the other an employment lawyer in Toronto.

Anand worked as a corporate lawyer and has extensive knowledge of corporate governance. In 2015, she became part of the Ontario government’s Expert Committee to Consider Financial Advisory and Financial Planning Policy Alternatives. She has conducted research for the Federal Wise Person's Committee, Ontario's Five-Year Review Committee and the Task Force to Modernise Securities Legislation in Canada.

A professor of law at the University of Toronto, Anand was first elected from Oakville, Ontario, in 2019. She served as the minister of public services and procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic and played a key role in securing vaccines for the residents.

Anita also assisted in the Air India Inquiry Commission, which investigated the bombing of Air India Kanishka Flight 182 on June 23, 1985. The bomb killed 329 people on board the Montreal-Delhi flight.

The 54-year-old will take over the role from former defence minister Harjit Sajjan, another Indian-origin Canadian politician who has been mired in controversy over the handling of the military sexual misconduct crisis.

The Canadian government has been under pressure to bring in changes in the military culture to prevent sexual misconduct and handle allegations better.

Replacing Sajjan with Anand is likely to send a powerful message to survivors of military sexual misconduct about the government’s intention of reforms, Global News reported.

Meanwhile, Sajjan has been made the minister of international development, Global news reported.

The cabinet overhaul comes a month after Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party returned to power in the snap polls.

After taking oath, she told reporters that her top priority was to ensure everyone in the military felt protected and that structures were in place to ensure justice was served.

(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)

First Published:Oct 27, 2021 5:16 PM IST