Indo-Canadian Anita Anand promoted to treasury board president in notable Cabinet reshuffle by Canadian Prime Minister

In a notable Cabinet reshuffle, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promoted Indo-Canadian Anita Anand to treasury board president from the defence minister portfolio. Anita has expressed her joy over her new role.

In a series of tweets, Anita expressed her happiness over the reshuffle. “I’m excited to take on the role of President of the Treasury Board. Canadians elected us to deliver economic growth and to make life more affordable – and this job is at the heart of that agenda. It’s an honour to be a part of our government’s economic team,” she tweeted.

She continued in the thread, “With my background in governance & capital markets, I will work hard to ensure that we make smart, responsible investments to build an economy that works for all Canadians. And, I look forward to working closely with our professional public service to deliver results for Canada.”

“I thank @MonaFortier for her service to Canadians as President of the Treasury Board. I am deeply grateful for your work to strengthen our public service and advance our government’s priorities,” she added.

Anita Anand’s many achievements

Anita was first electedas the Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019, according to Justin Trudeau’s website. Previously, she served as Minister of National Defence and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement. She moved to Ontario in 1985, and was born and raised in rural Nova Scotia.

Anita served on the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children, the Oakville Hospital Foundation, and Oakville Hydro Electricity Distribution Inc in her Oakville community. She worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher, as well as a legal academic. She worked as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto.

“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 Research Institute, Rotman School of Management. She has also taught law at Yale Law School, Queen’s University, and Western University,” the website says.

The website adds, “Minister Anand has completed extensive research on the regulation of financial markets, corporate governance, and shareholder rights, and has appeared regularly in the media to discuss these topics. In 2015, she was appointed to the Government of Ontario’s Expert Committee to Consider Financial Advisory and Financial Planning Policy Alternatives. She has conducted research for Ontario’s Five-Year Review Committee, the federal Wise Person’s Committee, and the Task Force to Modernize Securities Legislation in Canada.”

Anita was awarded the Yvan Allaire Medal for outstanding contributions in governance relating to private and public organizations by the Royal Society of Canada in 2019. She 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 is married toJohn Knowlton, and the couple share four children.