Canadian PM Mark Carney announces new cabinet; Anita Anand foreign minister
Indo-Canadian Anita Anand was the first woman of Hindu heritage to be elected a member of the House of Commons
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new Cabinet on Tuesday morning, promoting Indo-Canadian Anita Anand to the position of the country’s foreign minister and retaining François-Philippe Champagne as minister of finance.
Carney announced a two-tier ministry with members of the Cabinet and secretaries of state (equivalent of ministers of state). There are 28 Cabinet ministers and ten secretaries of state.
In a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Carney said, “Canada’s new Ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve. Everyone is expected and empowered to show leadership – to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work.”
They were sworn in by Governor General Mary Simon on Tuesday morning at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Also promoted was another Indo-Canadian Maninder Sidhu, who was re-elected in the April 28 federal election from Brampton East, and was made Canada’s new minister of international trade.
The two Indo-Canadian secretaries of state are Ruby Sahota, who will be charged with combatting crime and Randeep Sarai, who will handle the portfolio of international development.
As relations with the United States will be the prominent agenda item for the Government, Carney opted for continuity in that regard. Dominic LeBlanc will be the minister responsible for Canada-US trade.
The PMO statement noted, “Canadians elected this new government with a strong mandate to define a new economic and security relationship with the United States, to build a stronger economy, to reduce the cost of living, and to keep our communities safe. This focused team will act on this mandate for change with urgency and determination.”
When Carney visited Washington earlier this month to meet with US President Donald Trump, he was accompanied by LeBlanc, Champagne and then minister of foreign affairs Mélanie Joly. Of them, only Joly is being assigned a fresh role as she becomes the minister of industry.
Also in the Cabinet was former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who is the new minister of transport and internal trade.
Anand’s elevation was the major change in the Cabinet. She was a law professor at the University of Toronto before she was recruited to run in the 2019 federal election.
Anand, who had initially announced she was opting out of the 2025 Federal election, re-entered the race after Prime Minister Mark Carney reached out to her and emerged among his confidants.
Anand, also the first woman of Hindu heritage to be elected a member of the House of Commons, was appointed minister of public services and procurement in November 2019, and that turned out to be crucial portfolio months later with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic and the requirement for purchasing vaccine supplies for the country. In 2021, she was made minister of national defence, and later became president of the Treasury Board. Last year, she was given the additional responsibility of the transport department. On December 20, she was made minister of transport and internal trade.
She served as minister of innovation, science and industry in the last Carney Cabinet and retained the riding of Oakville East comfortably.
Another important change was with Gary Anandasangaree being appointed minister of public safety. Lena Metlege Diab, an MP from Nova Scotia, will be the new minister of immigration.
