Statement From The Honourable Anita Anand — January 11, 2025

Since 2019, I have been deeply honoured and humbled to serve as Oakville’s Member of Parliament and as member of Cabinet. In these roles, I have given all I have to keep Canada safe, strong, and free. I entered public life because I wanted to make a meaningful contribution to my community and country, a goal instilled in me by my parents, who immigrated to Canada before I was born.

Back in 2019, I could never have imagined that such work would mean navigating supply chains to overcome a global pandemic, addressing sexual assault in the Canadian Armed Forces, ensuring military aid reached Ukraine, overseeing the Treasury Board Secretariat or reinforcing Canada’s transportation systems. While this chapter of my life has been challenging, it has been tremendously fulfilling to deliver results for Canadians by working collaboratively.

Today I am announcing that I will not be entering the race to become the the next Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and will not be seeking re-election as the Member of Parliament for Oakville. I will continue to honourably execute my roles as a public office holder until the election.

Prior to seeking public office, I was a lawyer and law professor for over twenty years, most recently at the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto where, as a full professor and chairholder, my intellectual focus was on capital markets regulation and governance. After the 2019 election, i took a leave of absence, intending to return one day to academia. The joy and fulfillment that i take in our current work - collaborating with the Prime Minister, my Cabinet colleagues, our caucus and the broader team - delayed this decision. 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, and to return to my prior professional lie of teaching, research and public policy analyses.

I sincerely thank Prime Minister Trudeau for welcoming me on the Liberal team as a Member of Parliament and for entrusting me with key cabinet portfolios. I am truly grateful to the people of Oakville for selecting me to represent them in Canada's House of Commons and for being such a wonderful, welcoming community where my husband and I raised our four children over the past twenty years. During my first campaign, many people told me that a woman of Indian descent would not get elected in Oakville, Ontario. Yet Oakville rallied behind me not once but twice since 2019, an honour that I will hold in my heart forever.

I would like to thank my fellow caucus members for showing me such support, and for the many highs and lows that we have shared. Ours are lifelong friendships and I could not be more grateful for your presence and strength of character, I would also like to thank my teams in Oakville and Ottawa for your extraordinary work in supporting me. Your dedication and determination inspire me every day.

Thank you also to the many Canadians who have reached out to me in recent weeks to show your kindness and support. Serving one's country and community can take many forms. Without reservation, I will always be here for our Liberal team, for Oakville, and most of all for Canada.