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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 9, 20 20 | 2 228 King St. E. Hamilton 905-546-1921 servicing the oakville communityservicing the oakville community for over 20 years! trafalgarVillagE, oaKVillE 905.849.4472 Across fromOakvilleGoStationAcross fromOakvilleGoStationAc up to70% off Discontinued area rugs Modern and Traditional Styles B e s t Qua l i t y • B e s t s e rv i c e • B e s t Pr i c e Flooringca.comFlooringca.com New Year, New floor! Free InstallatIon Free underpad Select wall to wall carpet starting at all to wall carpet t $2.99/ sq.ft. The procurement pro- cess for a new fighter jet. Shipbuilding contracts. A new vision for Canada Post. Fixing the Phoenix pay system debacle that has screwed up the pay cheques for thousands of federal civil servants. If that's not enough of a to-do list, there's the deci- sion on the fate of 24 Sussex Dr. - the prime minister's official residence, which has sat empty for more than four years as officials weigh whether to renovate the structure or tear it down and start fresh. All daunting issues that have tested political veter- ans in Ottawa. Perhaps all the more daunting for a po- litical rookie. But if Anita Anand, the newly-elected MP for Oak- ville, is intimidated by her appointment as minister of public services and pro- curement, she's not show- ing it. Indeed, she is confi- dent that a professional ca- reer spent in the field of governance has left her well-prepared for a cabinet role heading the depart- ment that, according to its website, serves as purchas- ing agent, property manag- er, treasurer, accountant and pay and pension ad- ministrator for the federal government. Taking on a portfolio where "governance is cen- tral and rules are central is not a huge leap for me be- cause I have the back- ground," she told the To- ronto Star in an interview. With some understate- ment, Anand says it's been a "very exciting year." Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Anand is the daughter of two doctors - her mother, who is deceased, was an an- esthesiologist, and her fa- ther was a general sur- geon. She has two sisters, one a doctor in Hamilton and the other a lawyer in Toronto. Anand said she had al- ways aspired to serve in politics and thought that opportunity would come in Kings-Hants, the riding where she lived. A move to Ontario in 1985 and then to Oakville 16 years ago didn't dampen the political ambition. When John Oliver, the Lib- eral incumbent in Oak- ville, announced early in the year that he would not run again, Anand saw an opportunity. "I have really loved con- tributing to the public pol- icy debates in the area of fi- nancial market regulation, corporate governance and securities law. I found that NEWS NEW MP SET FOR LEAP FROM ACADEMIA TO CABINET ROLE ANITA ANAND SAYS HER PAST WORK IN GOVERNANCE A STRONG FIT FOR BUSY PUBLIC SERVICES PORTFOLIO Bruce Campion-Smith / Toronto Star Oakville MP Anita Anand See - page 3