OTTAWA: Indo-Canadian Anita Anand and Delhi-born Kamal Khera, one of the youngest women ever elected to the Canadian Parliament, are part of new Prime Minister Mark Carney‘s cabinet. Liberal Party’s Carney, a former central banker, was sworn in alongside members of the 30th Canadian Ministry on Friday.
Carney’s cabinet with 13 men and 11 women is smaller than former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s 37-member team. Anand, 58, is the minister of innovation, science and industry while Khera, 36, is minister of health, both among the few retaining their ministerial posts, albeit with different portfolios, from Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.
Khera’s family shifted to Canada when she was still in school. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from York University, Toronto.
Anand, who was a front-runner in the race to be the next PM to replace Trudeau, had in Jan declared that she is backing out from the race and also that she would not be seeking re-election. However, she had reversed the decision on March 1 saying, “Canada is facing a crucial moment in our nation’s history.” Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, Anand moved to Ontario in 1985.