Indian Origin Anita Anand Becomes Canada's Second Woman Defence Minister

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially appointed Anita Anand as the country's new Defence Minister in a Cabinet reshuffle on October 26. Anand will be replacing the long-term defence minister Harijit Sajjan, who was criticised for handling the military sexual misconduct crisis. She becomes the second woman and first woman of colour to hold the position.

The 54-year-old has been touted as a strong contender for weeks among defence industry experts who said that moving her into the role would send a powerful signal to survivors and victims of military sexual misconduct that the government is serious about implementing reforms, as per reports in The Times Of India.

Anita's Early Life

Anita Anand was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, to physician parents. Her father hailed from Tamil Nadu and her Mother from Punjab. She has two sisters, Gita Anand and Sonia Anand. The Defence incumbent holds four degrees; a bachelor of arts(Hons) in political studies; a bachelor of arts(Hons) in Jurisprudence; a bachelor of Law. Before entering into politics, Anand has held academic positions at Yale, Queen's University and Western University. She was also a law professor at the University of Toronto.

Political Career

She started her political career as a Members of Parliament for Oakville on November 22, 2019, in the House Commons in the 43rd Canadian Parliament. She defeated former Provincial Parliament Kevin Flynn and Lawyer Tamur Shah for the nomination; three years later, she has sworn in as Minister of National Defence at Rideau Hall.

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