Anita Anand to seek re-election after announcing retirement from politics

Transport Minister Anita Anand is expected to reverse her decision to retire from politics and will announce that she will seek re-election.

Anand told supporters in January that she would not run again, saying that she felt “deeply honoured and humbled” to have served as a member of Parliament and cabinet minister. 

Now, sources told the CBC that Anand plans to announce her bid for re-election on Friday at an event featuring Mark Carney.

Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, is widely viewed as the front-runner to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

Anand’s reversal will boost Liberal hopes in a riding that has become a crucial battleground. 

She was first elected in 2019 and served as Minister of Public Services and Procurement, then as Canada’s second-ever female Defence Minister, before moving to Transportation.

Trudeau’s announcement that he would step down as prime minister, combined with the return of Donald Trump to the White House, has unsettled Canadian politics. 

Carney leads his rivals in fundraising, cabinet endorsements, and polling numbers. 

Anand is not the first cabinet minister to change course on seeking re-election. 

Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith reversed his retirement plan after joining the cabinet in January. 

New Brunswick MP Wayne Long also said that he would run again if Carney wins the leadership.