Indian-origin Anita Anand takes oath as Canada's foreign minister, with her hands on Bhagavad Gita

Indian-origin Canadian politician Anita Anand took oath as the new foreign minister of the Mark Carney cabinet in Canada, as Canada navigates several foreign affairs challenges.

With her hand on the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu scripture, Anita Anand who also becomes the first Hindu woman to become Canada's foreign minister took her oath. This is not her first time in the cabinet and earlier too, she placed her hand on the Gita while taking the oath.Anand was born in Canada to Indian-origin parents. Her mother Saroj D Ram was from Punjab and his father SV Anand from Tamil Nadu. Starting her career as a corporate lawyer, in 2015, she became part of an expert committee of the Ontario government.

In 2019, she was elected from Oakville and served as the minister of public services and procurement during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mark Carney's first cabinet has 28 ministers, 10 secretaries of state. There are 24 new faces including Shafqat Ali, Jill McKnight, Tim Hodgson, Eleanor Olszewski, Mandy Gull-Masty, Joël Lightbound, Gregor Robertson, Evan Solomon, Wayne Long and Nathalie Provost. Veterans François-Philippe Champagne, Chrystia Freeland and Dominic LeBlanc keep their existing roles.

Anita Anand whose middle name is Indira holds four degrees: a BA in Political Studies from Queen’s University (gold medalist, 1989), a BA in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto. In her personal life, the 58-year-old is married to John Knowlton, a Canadian lawyer and business executive, and they have four children. Anita Anand recently announced her plans to leave political life, but the fall of the Justin Trudeau government changed the course of her life.