Anita Anand Appointed as Canada’s Foreign Minister to Lead India Relations Reset - (Does India- Canada Relation will be on back on track)
Canada’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has appointed Anita Anand as the new Foreign Minister in his cabinet, emphasizing a “mandate for change.” Anand will play a key role in rebuilding Canada’s strained relations with India.
Maninder Sidhu has been named International Trade Minister, while two other Indian-origin politicians have been appointed as secretaries of state, a position similar to ministers of state.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, congratulated Anand on her new role through a post on X.
Anand, who previously served as Transport Minister and also held the Defence portfolio, had earlier announced she would leave politics to return to academia. However, Carney convinced her to return after being re-elected in the recent elections.
Carney’s new cabinet, reduced from 39 to 28 ministers compared to Justin Trudeau’s previous lineup, reflects his vision for change. Among the new appointments, Dominic LeBlanc will handle Canada-US trade relations, a crucial role amid ongoing tariff disputes.
Anand takes over from Melanie Joly, who has been reassigned to the Transport and Internal Trade Ministry. Meanwhile, Ruby Sahota, formerly the Minister of Democratic Institutions, has been moved to a secretary of state role, focusing on crime prevention.
The new cabinet has fewer Indian-origin ministers compared to the previous one. Former Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan did not seek re-election, while Arif Virani and Kamal Khera, both from the previous cabinet, were dropped by Carney.
Carney, who took over from Justin Trudeau, has prioritized resetting relations with India, describing them as “incredibly important” and stressing the need for mutual respect.