It was a double bill for Oakville Liberals last night (Feb. 28) at the Oakville Power Boat Club.
Anita Anand, MP for Oakville and federal minister of transport and internal trade, held the event in Oakville which included a special visit from Mark Carney, leadership candidate for the federal Liberal party.
Anand officially announced that she would run in the upcoming federal election in the riding of Oakville, a position she has held since 2019.
Mark Carney, Liberal leadership front-runner, came to support Anand, charm the crowd, and woo a few more votes to make him the next prime minister.
The mood was upbeat and enthusiastic with lots of cheers and applause for both speakers.
A month after saying that she would not run again, Anand told media a few days ago, and again last night, that people from across Canada (many from the Oakville area) had asked her to reconsider and continue as member of parliament.
Speaking to the crowd at the boat club, Anand said, "Mark Carney encouraged me to stay" and that seemed to close the deal.
Adam van Koeverden, MP for Milton acted as emcee for the night helping to build the excitement for the event and spoke of how he’s looking forward to the next election with Mark Carney at the helm.
Throughout the night there were references to Canada’s win at the 4 Nations tournament, the pride in Canada that has shown itself lately, and warnings about American tariffs and threats to our resources and sovereignty.
After noting the serious threats Canada is facing from uncertainty, Anand jokingly told the crowd, "We need someone who has the ability to lead us through this financial and economic crisis. We need someone who can lead us to be the most successful economy in the G7. Imagine if we had a central banker, someone who has the ability to steer Canada through the global crisis not once but twice. I think we have our guy."
The crowd ate it up.
"Mark’s a man of integrity," Anand continued. "He’s a man we can depend on to steer our country through one of the most difficult times in our nation’s history. And I am so honoured to stand here with you and welcome Mark Carney to Oakville."
Carney, for his part, spoke glowingly about Anand’s commitment to Oakville and its residents:
"These are serious times and what we need to do, Anita spoke about, but what she left out was her exceptional ability, talent and dedication to our country. Anita brings the spirit and values of Oakville to Ottawa which is going to make our country greater."
Carney presented a relaxed and often times humorous side of himself but also warned of the challenges Canada faces.
"I put up my hand to run for the leadership because I felt the country needed big changes because of the cost of living crisis, the housing crisis, the world becoming more divided, and since that time, across the country I’ve heard from Canadians, that they too want big changes. But now the mood I’m sensing is one of determination because our future is in our hands."
"This is the most serious crisis of our times and it’s not of our making, but we can move forward," Carney noted. "The challenge is if you’re someone who’s been practising his lines for years, running down our country calling it broken, you can’t stand up for Canada. You can’t put Canada first. You can’t build a strong Canada. That is Pierre Poilievre."
When Carney asked what the solution is, John McCallum, former Liberal MP and cabinet minister shouted from the audience, "Elect Mark Carney." The crowd agreed with cheers.
During the evening Carney also recognized former federal politicians: Bonnie Brown and John Oliver in the crowd.
After the speeches during a brief media scrum, Oakville News asked Carney, "If you are elected prime minister, would there be room in cabinet for Anita Anand?"
Carney responded, "Anita is one of Canada’s most experienced leaders and when you think about the breadth of her experience internationally, in defence, in security, in economic portfolios I would be very proud to serve with Anita."
Anand was asked how important was Carney’s role in convincing her to run again.
"Mark encouraged me to throw my name back into the mix," Anand said. "And I respect the fact that he has the leadership capability, the expertise and the experience leading countries through economic crises. But most of all I see Canada in an existential economic crisis and I’m heavily involved in the inter-provincial barriers to trade file and the Canada-U.S. file and I simply cannot leave at this time."