Anita Anand

On May 30, 2022, Anand was joined by Louise Arbour, General Wayne Eyre, and Deputy Minister Bill Matthews to release the final report of the Independent External Comprehensive Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence. Anand accepted the report in its entirety and "welcomed" all 48 recommendations. She announced that work to implement 17 of them would begin immediately, and DND and the CAF will work to quickly analyze and provide the path forward for the remaining recommendations. In an interview, Anand later said, "“The efficacy of our armed forces, the ability for us to grow and continue to defend our country and engage in operations nationally and internationally, depends on us getting this right. And that is why it is so important to me personally as well as to our government.”

On July 9, 2022, in Truro, Anand and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered the Government of Canada's official apology to the members and descendants of No. 2 Construction Battalion, an all-Black battalion that faced anti-Black racism and discrimination during its service to Canada in World War I. “I am committed to eliminating systemic racism so that the discrimination faced by the No. 2 Construction Battalion, and those who followed, never happens again,” Anand said.

In late January 2022, Anand and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada would extend its training mission in Ukraine, Operation Unifier, by three years, and raise the ceiling of deployed personnel from 200 to 400. In announcing the extension, Anand stated, "The biggest contribution that Canada can make to Ukraine right now is people. We have trained, our soldiers have trained over 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers. We should not underestimate the importance of this training mission."

Following Russia's invasion, Anand announced several packages of additional military aid to Ukraine throughout February and March 2022, including Carl Gustaf anti-armour weapons, rockets, helmets, gas masks, and night-vision goggles. Further types of military aid announced by Anand included fragmentation vests and meal packs, 4,500 M72 rocket launchers and up to 7,500 hand grenades, and funding to enable Ukraine to purchase modern satellite imagery. Anand also announced the procurement and donation to Ukraine of Canadian-made, specialized cameras for Bayraktar TB-2 drones.

In late April 2022, Anand announced further military aid for Ukraine. On April 22, 2022, Anand confirmed that Canada had delivered M777 howitzers to Ukrainian Forces. At a conference of the Ukraine Defense Consultative Group at Ramstein Air Base, Canada announced that it had signed a contract for eight armoured vehicles for Ukraine. Just days later, Anand confirmed that the Canadian Armed Forces had begun to train Ukrainian forces in the use of the howitzers.

On April 28, 2022, Anand met with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during her first official visit to the United States. Anand and Austin told reporters that they had discussed further military aid to Ukraine and modernization of the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

At the 2022 NATO Leaders Summit in Madrid, Anand signed an agreement with Latvia's Defence Minister, Artis Pabriks, to upgrade the Canadian-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group in Latvia to a brigade size. At the summit, Canada also committed new military aid for Ukraine, specifically, six drone cameras and up to 39 armoured combat support vehicles. Days later, Anand visited General Dynamics Land Systems' facility in London, Ontario to meet with workers who assemble the armoured combat support vehicles, and said in an interview, “GDLS armoured vehicles are top of the line and we want to provide vehicles that are readily usable, easily accessible and able to be repaired if damaged. Ukraine asked for these.”

In July 2022, at the 15th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in Brasília, Anand led an effort to convince other countries present to denounce the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Anand told Politico that “Canada and I, as the representative here, felt that it's very important to voice this concern in a tangible way here at the conference... There is an impact of the Russian invasion on this region, a negative impact on economies here, on food security in our hemisphere.” Canada's efforts were successful, with the conference's final declaration stating, "The conflicts present around the world, such as the invasion of Ukraine and the violent acts by armed groups that terrorize the population in Haiti are not legitimate means to settle disputes, therefore the Member States of the CDMA, seek peaceful solutions as soon as possible." The Declaration also included a disclaimer by Canada, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, the United States of America and Uruguay, reiterating these countries "condemnation in the strongest terms of the Russian Federation’s illegal, invasion of Ukraine."

On August 4, 2022, Anand announced the deployment of up to 225 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to the United Kingdom to train new recruits to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, under Operation Unifier. Anand said, "Training missions like this, assisting our allies and our partners when they are under attack, is what we do... It is a priority for us as a country to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and with our allies." British defence minister Ben Wallace praised the announcement, stating, "Canada's expertise will provide a further boost to the program and ensure that the Ukrainian men and women coming to the U.K. to train to defend their country will get a wide pool of experience and skills from both U.K. forces and our international partners."

In September 2022, Anand told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that it would boost the capacity of the Royal Canadian Air Force hub in Prestwick, Scotland, by adding a third C-130 Hercules aircraft and boosting its presence to 55 personnel, thus enabling it to deliver additional military aid to Ukraine.

Days after Russian missiles struck Kyiv and other civilian centres in Ukraine, Anand visited Warsaw on October 11, 2022, and met with her Polish counterpart Mariusz Błaszczak. While in Warsaw, Anand announced the deployment of approximately forty Canadian Armed Forces combat engineers to Poland to train Ukrainian sappers under Operation Unifier. Referring to the Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, Anand said the same day, "Canada wholeheartedly condemns those brutal strikes against civilian targets and infrastructure, adding, "those strikes constitute a war crime."

On November 14, 2022, Canada announced an additional $500 million in military aid for Ukraine, bringing its total commitment of military aid to over $1 billion CAD since February 2022.

On November 16, 2022, Canada announced the extension of Operation Unifier in the United Kingdom through the end of 2023. At a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group later that day, Anand also announced that Canada would contribute $34 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, in the form of drone cameras, additional winter clothing, and satellite services.

On June 20, 2022, at CFB Trenton, Anand announced a five-point NORAD modernization plan that is estimated to cost approximately $40 billion over twenty years. Anand said that there was “pressing need” to respond to threats like hypersonic and cruise missiles, and declared that the plan would begin "NORAD’s next chapter.” Anand described the plan as “the most significant upgrade to NORAD from a Canadian perspective in almost four decades.”

During a visit to Labrador on August 24, 2022, Anand confirmed that CFB Goose Bay would be one of four northern locations to receive basing upgrades under the $15.68 billion allocated for infrastructure upgrades in Canada's NORAD modernization plan.

On August 25, 2022, Trudeau, Anand, and other Canadian ministers welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, for the first-ever visit of a NATO Secretary General to the Canadian High Arctic.

Days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Anand told the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence that "Europe is not the only fault line in the global security environment at the current time." She spoke about the need to be "cognizant of China’s range of assertive activities in the Indo-Pacific region and around the world," and stated, "the patterns are there for all to see, frankly.” Anand described Chinese activity in the East and South China Seas as "coercive," also citing theft of intellectual property, “irresponsible and very concerning behaviour in cyberspace," and the Detention of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.

While in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in June 2022, Anand addressed Chinese interceptions of Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft. She told Reuters, “The interceptions by the Chinese of our (aircraft) are very concerning and unprofessional and we need to ensure that the safety and security of our pilots is not at risk, especially when they are simply monitoring as required under UN-sanctioned missions."

Following a visit to Taiwan by Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, Anand told CBC News in August 2022 that "it is routine for legislators from our countries to travel internationally, and China's escalatory response simply risks increasing tensions and destabilizing the region." She called on China "not to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the region and to resolve cross-strait differences by peaceful means."

During her keynote address at the 2022 Halifax International Security Forum, Anand foreshadowed the release of the Trudeau government's Indo-Pacific strategy. She stated that Canada would "increase [its] military presence and enhance [its] defence and security relationships with partners and allies in the [Indo-Pacific] region." She added, "We will challenge China when we ought to. We will cooperate with China when we must."

Anand was awarded the 2022 Global Citizen Award by the United Nations Association in Canada. The award recognizes "role models who have shown generosity, creativity, leadership and solution-seeking, and applied their talents to the challenges they have identified in their local communities, in the country and in the world."

The pandemic caused the federal government to rapidly increase its usual procurement tempo in order to purchase rapid tests, reagents, and swabs used for laboratory-based testing. In April 2021, Anand told the House of Commons Health Committee that Public Services and Procurement Canada had procured over 2.5 billion articles of personal protective equipment, "with a substantial amount of that equipment being made right here, at home."

Initially, Canada's target was to receive enough vaccines to fully immunize all eligible Canadians by September 30, 2021. Anand told The Guardian that she pressed "very, very aggressively for early deliveries from the suppliers." Negotiations for early delivery were successful, allowing Canada to meet and then surpass its immunization target two months ahead of schedule. By the end of July 2021, Canada had received a cumulative total of more than 66.4 million vaccines.

By August 2021, Canada had attained the highest vaccination rate in the world.

Anand also worked to finalize Canada's agreements with vaccine producers regarding the procurement and delivery of COVID-19 vaccine doses for children. After Health Canada approved the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in paediatric populations under the age of 12 years on November 19, 2021, the first paediatric doses of the vaccine arrived in Canada two days later, on November 21, 2021.

Anand was re-elected to Parliament following the 2021 Canadian federal election. She defeated Conservative Kerry Colborne with 46% of the vote.

On October 26, 2021, Anand was sworn in as Minister of National Defence at Rideau Hall. She is only the second woman in Canadian history to take on the role of national defence minister, after former prime minister Kim Campbell in the 1990s. Anand stated that her top priority is tackling sexual misconduct and building a durable culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces.

On November 4, 2021, Anand announced that she accepted in full an interim recommendation from former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louise Arbour that the investigation and prosecution of military sexual misconduct cases be referred to Canada's civilian justice system. In a statement to the Globe and Mail, retired Colonel and military lawyer Michel Drapeau called the decision a "welcomed sign of leadership" and "a timely and powerful signal to the military justice system and victims that changes are coming."

On November 19, 2021, Anand gave her first major speech as Minister of National Defence as the keynote speaker at the Halifax International Security Forum. Anand laid out her three main priorities: building a durable culture change in the Canadian Forces, better equipping Canada's military by raising military spending, and ensuring that Canada continues to support peace and stability around the world through its military deployments.

On November 25, 2021, General Wayne Eyre was appointed as Canada's Chief of the Defence Staff on Anand's recommendation.

On December 13, 2021, Anand offered an official apology on behalf of the Government of Canada to all those affected by sexual misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence. She was joined by General Wayne Eyre, Chief of the Defence Staff, who apologized on behalf of the military, and Deputy Minister Jody Thomas, who apologized on behalf of the department.

Anand's 2021 mandate letter from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instructed her to "work with the United States to modernize the North American Aerospace Defence Command."

Beginning in the summer of 2020, the Canadian government signed contracts with the producers of seven leading COVID-19 vaccine candidates, and the producers of supplies needed to package and administer those vaccines. Anand told The New York Times that "because we do not know which vaccine [...] is going to be successful, ultimately we must bet on multiple vaccines at the same time." Summing up her approach, she stated, "We are not putting all our eggs in one basket."

Before her political career, Anand was a professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law specializing in corporate governance and the regulation of capital markets. She was previously the J.R. Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance at the Faculty. As of October 2019, Anand is on leave from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law for the duration of her time as an elected official.

On September 17, 2019, it was announced that Anand would receive the Yvan Allaire Medal from the Royal Society of Canada. The medal is bestowed annually for an outstanding contribution in governance of private and public organizations. The Society stated that Anand's research "significantly altered global thinking about best practices for boards of directors, including the importance of diversity on boards".

On June 12, 2019, Anita Anand won the Liberal nomination for the riding of Oakville, Ontario, after the incumbent John Oliver announced that he would not run in the 2019 election. She defeated former member of Provincial Parliament Kevin Flynn and lawyer Tamur Shah for the nomination. On October 21, 2019, Anand won the riding of Oakville with 30,265 votes.

Anand was sworn in as the member of Parliament for Oakville on November 22, 2019, to represent Oakville in the House of Commons in the 43rd Canadian Parliament.

On November 20, 2019, Anand was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and as procurement minister at Rideau Hall.

Anand left Queen's University for the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto in 2006 where she was a full professor. She served as associate dean from 2007 to 2009. From 2010 to 2019, Anand also served as the academic director of the Centre for the Legal Profession, as well as for its Program on Ethics in Law and Business. At the time of her election, she was a senior fellow of Massey College, as well as being cross-appointed to the Rotman School of Management as the director of policy and research at the Capital Markets Research Institute, and to the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto.

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.

Anand began her legal career as an associate at Torys from 1994 to 1997 (with leave to pursue her master's degree), after articling at Torys from 1992 to 1993. She then pursued her teaching career by serving as assistant professor (adjunct) from 1997 to 1999 at the Faculty of Law of Western University. In 1999, she became assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at Queen's University, obtaining tenure and advancing to the rank of associate professor in 2003. She received a U.S.-Canada Fulbright award in 2005 and attended Yale Law School as a visiting lecturer in law (fall 2005) teaching comparative corporate governance. She was also visiting Olin scholar in law and economics at Yale Law School (2005-2006).

The family relocated to Ontario in 1985 and Anand and her husband John raised their family in Oakville. The couple has four children.

Anita Anand PC MP (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who serves as the Minister of National Defence since 2021. She has represented the riding of Oakville in the House of Commons since the 2019 federal election, sitting as a member of the Liberal Party. During the 43rd Parliament of Canada, she served as Minister of Public Services and Procurement and oversaw Canada's procurement of vaccines and personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is the first Hindu to become a federal minister in Canada.

Anand is the daughter of Saroj Daulat Ram and Sundaram Vivek Anand, an anaesthetist and general surgeon. The couple immigrated to Kentville, Nova Scotia, in the early 1960s. Anand was born in 1967 and attended Queen’s University, the University of Oxford, and Dalhousie University. Anand articled at Toronto law firm Torys, where she met her husband, John Knowlton.