Age, Biography, and Wiki
Anita Anand was born on May 20, 1967, making her 58 years old as of 2025. She is of Indian origin, with Tamil and Punjabi lineage. Before entering politics, Anand was a distinguished academic, having taught at prestigious institutions like Yale University. Her political career began in 2019 when she became a Member of Parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Occupation | Politician |
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| Date of Birth | 20 May 1967 |
| Age | 58 Years |
| Birth Place | Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Horoscope | Taurus |
| Country | Canada |
Height, Weight & Measurements
There is limited public information available about Anita Anand's height, weight, or body measurements.
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Dating & Relationship Status
Anita Anand is married to John Anton, a lawyer and business executive, since 1995. The couple has four children together and resides in Oakville.
Her parents (both now deceased) were both Indian physicians; her mother Saroj D. Ram was an anesthesiologist, and her father S.V. (Andy) Anand was a general surgeon. Her father was from Tamil Nadu and her mother was from Punjab. Anita has two sisters, her elder sister, Gita Anand, is an employment lawyer in Toronto, and her younger sibling Sonia Anand, is a physician and researcher at McMaster University.
Her parents were followers of Mahatma Gandhi and her father met Mahatma Gandhi when his father, V.A. Sundaram, was working within the Indian independence movement.
In the early 1960s, Anand's mother and father were living in Nigeria when her father travelled to Nova Scotia to investigate the possibility of immigrating to Canada or the United States.
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Net Worth and Salary
Anita Anand's net worth is estimated to be between $2 million and $100 million, depending on the source. Her wealth primarily comes from her successful career in law, academia, and politics, including her roles as a professor, legal advisor, and government minister. As a federal minister, her salary is substantial, and she also earns from investments in real estate and other financial assets.
Minister Anand explained that, “The goal of these proposed amendments is to make the regulations clearer for both travellers and air carriers. The proposed amendments eliminate grey zones and ambiguity about when passengers are owed compensation, which will ensure quicker resolutions for passengers."
Business and Investments
While specific details about her business investments are not widely available, her income from real estate and other financial assets is noted as contributing to her net worth.
In the 30th Canadian Ministry, chaired by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Anand was appointed minister of innovation, science and industry. She held the role for two months prior to her appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs following the 2025 federal election.
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.
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) while teaching comparative corporate governance. She was also visiting Olin scholar in law and economics at Yale Law School (2005-2006) and undertook research on the implications of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Canadian public companies.
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 and member of the Board of Governors of Massey College. She was also 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.
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 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.
Anand assumed the position of President of the Treasury Board following a cabinet shuffle initiated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid a challenging political environment for the incumbent Liberal party.
In her role, Anand worked to advance the Greening Government Strategy, modernize and strengthen the Government of Canada's digital capabilities, strengthen management of taxpayer dollars, and promote diversity and inclusion within the public service. In October 2024, Anand announced that the federal government would purchase at least $10million of carbon removal services in the race to reach net-zero government operations by 2050. The purchases in carbon removal services will be made through TBS’ Low-Carbon Fuel Procurement Program (LCFPP), an eight-year, $134.9 million initiative to reduce emissions from federal air and marine operations. This investment followed the Budget 2024 decision to expand the LCFPP to include the procurement of carbon dioxide removal services in addition to low-carbon intensity fuels.
One of Anand's priorities was modernizing legacy IT systems and increasing cybersecurity across the federal government. Anand launched the GC Digital Talent Platform to allow employees with digital knowledge and skills to apply for jobs in the public service in January 2024, as part of her work to strengthen Canada's public service. In May 2024, Anand announced a Government-wide Cyber Security Strategy. The strategy outlined an approach to ensure that the Government can combat cyber threats and address vulnerabilities across the government's digital estate. That same month, Anand announced nationwide consultations with public and private experts on creating an AI strategy for the public service. Public consultations for this strategy were announced in September 2024.
In February 2025, Anand announced major investments to strengthen port infrastructure, supply chain efficiency, and transportation decarbonization throughout Canada. On February 5, Anand announced $25 million for the Halifax Port Authority to advance the Halifax–Hamburg green shipping corridor, reducing emissions and improving port infrastructure. On February 11, she announced $35.5 million for clean marine technology in British Columbia under the Green Shipping Corridor Program, funding shore power, clean energy adoption, and low-emission vessels. This funding also allows for shore power technology, low-emission vessels, and clean energy adoption at ports, which will accelerate Canada's transition to net-zero marine transport. On February 12, Anand announced $33.1 million for six infrastructure projects in British Columbia and Alberta under the National Trade Corridors Fund. The investment supports rail and port upgrades to enhance freight movement, intermodal connections, and supply chain efficiency. These investments strengthen Canada's trade networks and advance sustainable transportation.
In October 2024, Anand announced $45 million in rail safety nationwide. Then on February 12, 2025, Anand together with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Martin Imbleau, President and CEO of Alto, announced Alto, Canada's first high-speed rail network connecting Toronto and Quebec City. Spanning 1000 km and reaching speeds of 300 kph, the project will cut travel times in half, with additional stops in Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, and Trois-Rivières. As Canada's largest infrastructure project, Alto is expected to boost GDP by $35 billion annually, create over 51,000 jobs during construction, and enhance economic productivity. The government committed $3.9 billion over six years for project development, with Cadence, a consortium of global transportation firms, selected to design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the network. Anand highlighted Alto's role in strengthening regional economies and reducing emissions and the collaboration between public and private partners to deliver a modern, efficient transportation system.
On February 7, 2025, Anand attended the Canada-U.S. Economic Summit, where she emphasized the need for a long-term prosperity agenda for Canada amid a 30-day pause on U.S. tariffs. Anand met leaders from trade, business, public policy, Indigenous communities, and labour to discuss strategies for breaking barriers, diversifying exports, and boosting productivity.
On March 14, 2025, Minister Anand was sworn into a new cabinet position under Mark Carney’s government as Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
Social Network
Anita Anand maintains a professional presence on social networks, often using platforms to update the public on her political initiatives and engagements.
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 was “the most significant upgrade to NORAD from a Canadian perspective in almost four decades.”
Anand declared, “In close coordination with the United States, we will establish the backbone of a brand-new northern approaches surveillance system to enhance surveillance and early warning threats to our continent," adding that this new system will “essentially push our line of sight further north, ensuring we will be able to respond to fast moving threats like hypersonics.” US Ambassador to Canada David Cohen welcomed the funding, stating, “The United States looks forward to continuing to strengthen our collaboration with Canada on continental defence and security, including in the Arctic."
On December 21, 2024, she released the Airline Passenger Protection Regulations. Canada was the first country to bring in regulations of this sort and Minister Anand is seeking to strike the right balance between passenger protections and a competitive airline industry. In particular, the Canadian Transportation Agency’s proposed amendments to the Air Passenger Protection Regulations were published in Part I of the Canada Gazette on December 21, 2024, for a 75-day public comment period.
At that meeting, provinces and territories committed to eliminating exceptions to the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), prioritizing the removal of regulatory and administrative barriers to the movement of goods in Canada, ensuring workers can work in any jurisdiction in this country without delay, and making it easier to buy and sell Canadian goods from one another. On February 21, The Globe and Mail broke the story that the federal government was removing more than half of their exceptions from the Canadian Free Trade Agreement, opening up competition across the country. The Committee on Internal Trade met again in Toronto on February 28, preparing their proposal for the First Ministers Meeting. On March 5, the provinces and territories, in a meeting of the First Ministers with then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, reached an agreement on a number of measures to reduce internal barriers to trade, including direct-to-consumer alcohol sales.
Education
Anita Anand has a strong educational background, having attended:
- Queen’s University for her undergraduate studies.
- Wadham College, Oxford for legal studies.
- Dalhousie University for her law degree.
- University of Toronto for her master's degree in law.
Anita Indira Anand (born May 20, 1967) is a Canadian lawyer, academic, and politician who has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, Anand was elected to the House of Commons in 2019 and currently serves as the member of Parliament (MP) for Oakville East.
Anand relocated to Ontario in 1985 to pursue her undergraduate degree at Queen's University in political studies. After winning the gold medal in Political Studies in 1989, she went to Wadham College, Oxford to read law. After completing her studies in Oxford, she returned to Nova Scotia, to obtain her Canadian law degree at Dalhousie University before articling in 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 has held academic positions at Yale, Queen's University and Western University. Before her election, Anand was a law professor at the University of Toronto.
Just days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Anand announced a significant expansion of Canada's contribution to NATO operations in Europe. Under the umbrella of Operation Reassurance she announced the deployment of approximately 120 members of an artillery battery to join the Canadian-led NATO Enhanced Forward Presence battle group in Latvia, and the deployment of an additional Halifax-class frigate to NATO maritime forces.
