Anita Anand

Anita Anand in 2025

Anita Anand PC, MP (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served 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.

Quotes

• "Canada condemns these actions and I personally am disgusted by them as they are reprehensible and a completely unwarranted and illegal intrusion into territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine."
  • related to the annexation of occupied Ukraine regions by Russia - Global News 29 September 2022.

• "Canada “be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.”

• "The spirit and determination of the Ukrainian people and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy continue to inspire us all. Ukraine’s armed forces are driven, disciplined, and better-trained - and they are winning"
  • on Ukraine

• "I've continually said that my top priority is to make sure that all members of our armed forces are protected and respected when they put on a uniform in service of this country"
  • Anand told CTV’s Your Morning on Friday, during an interview to mark Remembrance Day

• "I definitely take note of that changing global strategic environment where we have aggressors trying to make their mark against the allied nations, and what we need to continue to do, and will continue to do, is to be unified"
  • on Russia invasion on Ukraine

• "There is a common thread to many of the heart-wrenching stories the Advisory Panel heard. At their core are the lost – but potentially powerful – contributions of the defense team who leave the organization because the price they would have to pay to persevere in the organization would be unbearable"
  • on Canadian Armed Forces

• "The current policy will remain in place and we will continue to look at this emerging threat environment – what do we need to continue to do from a defense perspective in light of changing global circumstances"

• "I believe fundamentally in the importance of having women at the decision-making table in many capacities, in every institution"

• "In this new world, Canada’s geographic position no longer provides the same protection that it once did. And in this new world, the security environment facing Canada is less secure, less predictable and more chaotic"
  • on security and chaos

• "Threats are evolving quickly, from hypersonics to cyber attacks to the re-emergence of great power competition. In other words, the world we live in today differs from the threat assessments that underpinned Strong, Secure, Engaged in 2017"
  • said Anand in vowing to update Canada’s defence policy