Meet the new boss, same as the old boss

Anita Anand is Canada’s new foreign affairs minister. When she was defence minister Anand promoted a belligerent military posture and has backed Canada’s support for Israel’s holocaust in Gaza.

As President of the Treasury Board in November 2023 Anand criticized the head of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, Camille Awada, condemnation of Zionism. During the past 19 months of genocide in Gaza Anand has refused to listen to constituents who’ve called, emailed, petitioned and protested in a bid to have her call for a two-way arms embargo on Israel. During the recent election campaign Anand refused to endorse the Vote Palestine pledge, suggesting it was antisemitic. In response, former supporter and financier Mohamad Fakih wrote, “I regret endorsing Anita Anand. She promised a letter on Palestine that never came—no courage to go public. Now she plays all sides, gaslights international law, and undermines Sima+Adam by framing Palestinian rights as fueling antisemitism. This is divisive. She doesn’t deserve your vote.”

On the NATO proxy war Anand was extremely hawkish. Immediately after Russia invaded Ukraine she may have violated Canada’s Foreign Enlistment Act by calling on “‘all foreigners willing to defend Ukraine and world order’ to contact the foreign diplomatic missions of Ukraine.” Anand made near weekly announcements about delivering arms to Ukraine. On one occasion she tweeted a video of tanks loaded onto military aircraft, noting “Battle tanks are on their way to help Ukraine. The first Canadian Leopard 2 is enroute. Canada’s support for Ukraine is unwavering.”

Anand pushed to ramp up the Canadian military’s ever-increasing presence on Russia’s border in Latvia. She announced the expedited purchase of hundreds of millions of dollars in anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-drone weapons for Canadian Forces in eastern Europe.

Anand promoted growing Canada’s naval and aircraft presence near China’s territorial waters and airspace through the government’s 2022 Indo Pacific Strategy. She tweeted, “Canada is a Pacific nation and believes in the importance of the Indo-Pacific region to global stability and prosperity. Today, we announce that HMCS Vancouver and Winnipeg will remain deployed in the Indo-Pacific until December 2022.” Canadian vessels have been running belligerent “freedom of navigation” exercises through international waters Beijing claims in the South China Sea as well as the Taiwan Strait.

Anand is also the minister who committed Canada to purchasing 88 F-35 fighter jets from US giant Lockheed Martin for $19 billion ($75 billion over their lifecycle). “The F-35 is a modern, reliable and agile fighter aircraft used by our closest allies in missions across the globe,” Anand said in 20223. She also oversaw a major increase in military spending and announced a multi-billion-dollar upgrade to the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which assists the US military globally.

Anand assisted the arms industry. She tweeted photos of meeting CAE officials with the message that “through our Defence Policy Update and beyond, we’re committed to strengthening our partnerships with Canada’s defence industry.” The Montreal flight simulator company trains thousands of US, British, UAE, Saudi, etc. fighter pilots each year in dozens of locations around the world.

Anita Anand’s appointment as foreign affairs minister suggests Mark Carney will continue Trudeau’s pro-genocide, imperialist and NATO policy. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

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