Transport Minister Anita Anand will not be entering her name in the race to replace outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.
“Today, I am announcing that I will not be entering the race to become the next Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and will not be seeking re-election as Member of Parliament for Oakville,” Anand said in a statement posted to social media.
“I will continue to honourably execute my roles as public office holder until the next election.”
Anand, who was a lawyer and served as a professor at the University of Toronto prior to being elected in 2019, says she will be returning to academia.
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“Now that the Prime Minister has made his decision to move to his next chapter, I have determined the time is right for me to do the same.”
Shortly after the 2019 election, Anand was named Minister of Public Services and Procurement and continued to serve in that role through the beginning of the pandemic.
Two years later, she would become the second woman, and first since Kim Campbell, to serve as Canada’s defence minister.
A year later, she would be moved to president of Treasury Board before landing in her current role last September.
On Thursday, the Liberal party said a new leader would be announced March 9, giving potential candidates just two weeks to decide whether to seek the role.
Anand joins Dominic LeBlanc on the list of high-profile Liberals who will not be entering the leadership race.
Former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya have officially confirmed they plan to run while former B.C. premier Christy Clark and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney are among those considering a bid.
There are some other big names that have yet to tip their hand either way, including former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne and House Leader Karina Gould.
— with files from the Canadian Press
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