Transport Minister Anita Anand has announced she will not be seeking the leadership of the Liberal party.
In a statement on Saturday, Anand added she will not be seeking re-election as an MP for Oakville.
Anand says with the Prime Minister’s recent decision to move to the next chapter of his life, she says it is also the right time for her to do the same and return to a life of “teaching, research and public policy analyses.”
Anand was sworn in as federal transport minister last September after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus in order to run for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal party. It is her fourth cabinet appointment since she was elected to parliament in 2019. Anand previously served as President of the Treasury Board, as Minister of National Defence, and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
She joins several other high-profile cabinet ministers – Dominic LeBlanc and Mélanie Joly – who have elected not to enter the race to replace outgoing leader Justin Trudeau.
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.
Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report
