Canada Calling: Homeless Indian student found living under a bridge in Toronto; new profile Anita Anand

The video shows the student living in a water-logged, rat-infested area with only a blanket and a small bag for possessions. Gondi and his friend then drove him to a homeless shelter in Toronto.

Gondi said the student, who came from India a few months ago and is enrolled in a college in Kitchener, over-extended his budget by paying to get a forklift license, which he thought would land him a job. But unable to nail down one and out of money to pay the rent, he was evicted from his shared accommodation.

Students who come to Canada have to deposit a minimum of 10,000 dollars in Guaranteed Income Certificate (GIC), a safety net of sorts which is returned to them in installments every month. Gondi shared that the said student’s GIC money ($600) for the month was due to come on the 28th of July. “He thought that he would need to spend only a few days in the streets before getting his money and finding an accommodation.”

Indian-origin minister, seen as Trudeau’s successor, demoted

Embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose approval ratings are in a free fall over high inflation and declining living standards, overhauled his cabinet last week in a bid to push back against the perception that he was sleeping at the wheel. In the process of shuffling the deck, he took away the prestigious portfolio of defence minister from Anita Anand and made her President of the Treasury Board. The move is being interpreted as a demotion for the Indian-origin politician, who is widely regarded as one of the better performers in his cabinet.

Anand first earned plaudits in 2020 when, in her role as Procurement Minister, she helped Canada secure COVID-19 vaccines and PPEs. After the Trudeau government was reelected in 2021, she was rewarded with the post of Defence Minister, replacing another Indo-Canadian, Harjit Sajjan. The high-profile role became even more important in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the consensus among experts is that Anand again performed well in the role. Many also began to see her as a potential successor to Trudeau whenever he steps away as leader of the Liberal Party. It’s this talk that — some commentators have suggested — has proved to be her undoing. In fact, Radio-Canada last month reported that she was pulled up by Trudeau’s inner circle, who warned her that her campaign towards a future leadership race was becoming too indiscreet.

However, after taking the oath, Anand, who was a professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law before entering politics, countered the suggestion that she was demoted.

“There is not one policy of our government that doesn’t go through the Treasury Board. I will be seeing everything from a policy perspective,” she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “And yes, I am going to have to speak with my colleagues about the need for prudent spending, and I’m looking forward to those conversations as well.”

Meanwhile, Arif Virani, an Uganda-born Ismaili Muslim who traces his roots to Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was named as Canada’s Justice Minister and Attorney General.