Anita Anand says she will not run for Liberal party leadership or re-election

MONTREAL — Liberal cabinet minister Anita Anand announced Saturday that she won’t pursue a bid to replace Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Breaking the news on social media, the transport and internal trade minister also said she won’t seek re-election as a member of Parliament for her Oakville, Ont., riding, a seat she has held since 2019.

“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 the member of Parliament of Oakville,” reads a statement Anand posted on X.

“I will continue to honourably serve as public office holder until the next election.”

Anand has held a variety of roles during her time in cabinet. She previously served as public services and procurement minister, national defence minister and Treasury Board president.

Anand thanked Trudeau for entrusting her with key cabinet portfolios and signalled that his departure sparked her own decision to leave.

“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 professional life of teaching, research and public policy analyses,” the statement reads.

Anand said that before holding public office she was a lawyer and law professor for more than 20 years, including at the University of Toronto where she focused on capital markets regulation and governance.

She said she took a leave of absence after the 2019 election with the goal of one day returning to academia, but the decision was delayed by the “joy and fulfilment” she experienced in her work in government.

Anand was first elected to office with a 4,704-vote win over her Conservative opponent. In 2021, her margin of victory slimmed by about 1,000 votes.

On Thursday, the Liberal party said the new leader will be named March 9, but few candidates have so far thrown their hat into the ring. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc have also said they will not seek the Liberal leadership.

Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney signalled through his campaign team Friday that he will launch a leadership bid late next week, after garnering support from more than two dozen Liberal MPs in the past few days. Meanwhile, former B.C. premier Christy Clark told CBC Radio’s The House that she is “very seriously” considering a leadership bid.

Former Montreal MP Frank Baylis and Nepean, Ont., MP Chandra Arya have also said they plan to run.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 11, 2025.

Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press