Transport Minister Anita Anand to reverse course and seek re-election: sources

Transport Minister Anita Anand is set to reverse her decision to retire from politics and announce she will seek re-election, CBC News has learned.

Anand is expected to make the announcement on Friday at an event with Mark Carney, according to sources with knowledge of the plans who were not authorized to speak publicly. 

Carney, a former central banker in Canada and the U.K., is widely seen as the front-runner to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Anand and her office did not respond to requests for comment. Carney's campaign also did not respond to a request for comment.

Anand, who had been seen as a possible Liberal leadership candidate, announced on Jan. 11 she would both not seek the party leadership and not run in the upcoming federal election.

She said in a statement posted to social media at the time that she has been "deeply honoured and humbled to serve as Oakville's member of Parliament and as member of cabinet."

But Liberal fortunes shifted dramatically in the weeks since that announcement. The return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House and Trudeau's announcement that he would step down as prime minister have jolted Liberal support in a string of public opinion polls.

The governing party now finds itself statistically tied with the Conservatives in some polls, after years of trailing by double digits and by more than 20 points in recent months.

Carney consistently polls better than his leadership rivals. He also has more cabinet and caucus endorsements than any other candidate and has raised more money from more donors.

Anand's decision would give the Liberals an incumbent in a key riding in a battleground region in Ontario. The Oakville MP has held several cabinet portfolios since she was elected in 2019. Anand was first minister of public services and procurement, then became the second woman ever to serve as minister of national defence.

Anand is not the first Liberal MP cabinet minister to change her mind about seeking re-election.

Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith announced last year that he would not seek re-election, but he changed course when he was appointed to cabinet in January.

And New Brunswick MP Wayne Long, who had said he would not run again, has also said he would seek re-election if Carney wins the leadership. Long was among the first caucus members to publicly call for Trudeau's resignation.