Anita Vandenbeld

International development career

Anita Vandenbeld worked for over a decade in international democratic development.

During the Chretien and Martin governments, Vandenbeld was Director of Parliamentary Affairs in the Office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and oversaw the development and implementation of the Government of Canada's Democratic Reform Action Plan under the Minister responsible for Democratic Reform. She was also a Policy Analyst with the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau in the Canadian Parliament, and Chief of staff to a Canadian Senator.

United Nations

Vandenbeld worked on several short and long-term projects with the United Nations Development Programme and UNIFEM. She worked with the United Nations Development Programme Democratic Governance Group in New York, where she managed a multi-partner international network to promote women's political participation International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics. Before that, she was based at the UNDP Oslo Governance Centre in Norway.

IKNOWPolitics

Vandenbeld was the global manager of the International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOWPolitics.org), an online peer support network of women in politics which operates in 4 languages across 5 continents. iKNOWPolitics was established in 2007 as a project of 5 international organizations who decided to combine efforts to encourage women's political participation: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNIFEM (now UN Women), Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), International IDEA, and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Vandenbeld oversaw the project's Asia-Pacific launch in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2010, and partnered on a project with the Club de Madrid on 'Women's Leadership for Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa'.

In 2009 Vandenbeld oversaw the expansion of the project into Arabic, including traveling extensively across the region to consult with women about the arabic network and host a regional launch in Jordan in 2009 with Princess Basma Bint Talal as the keynote speaker and female MP's, Ministers, opposition members and civil society leaders from across the Arab States.

National Democratic Institute

Anita Vandenbeld has worked with the National Democratic Institute in a number of different roles, including as resident director in the Democratic Republic of Congo, conducting a women's political leadership academy in Haiti. contributing case studies on political party policy development, and as one of the five initial partners in the iKNOWPolitics project.

Democratic Republic of Congo Resident Director

Vandenbeld was resident director in the National Democratic Institute office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where she established a political party program during the November 2011 Congolese elections. Vandenbeld conducted a women's campaign college for over 100 women and hosted a launch of the iKNOWPolitics network with over 250 women leaders, candidates, activists and representatives of women's organizations. Vandenbeld led a program of inter-party dialogue to support peaceful competition in elections. She established a steering committee of 15 majority, opposition and unaligned political parties that met weekly in the months leading to the 2011 national elections. Under her leadership, the Institute organized multiparty workshops on communications, campaign management and women’s political involvement to help parties’ participation in the elections.

As part of the political parties program, Vandenbeld invited former US ambassador to the UN and former Governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson to meet with Congolese political leaders to prevent election-related violence, assure transparency in the election process and continue democratic dialogue after the election The delegation met with President Kabila, and convened a meeting of 11 presidential candidates. One of the key outcomes of these meetings included a declaration on sexual violence that was developed by civil society and signed by most of the presidential candidates.

Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Anita Vandenbeld worked in both Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and in Kosovo with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In the OSCE Mission in BiH she coordinated an anti-corruption campaign during the 2000 national elections. This extensive public awareness campaign included television and radio commercials, a music video, billboards, factsheets and newspaper advertisements. The project also included a training course on investigative journalism. In Kosovo, Vandenbeld was a senior advisor to the Assembly of Kosovo in 2007 and 2008 before Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008.

OSCE Mission in Kosovo

Anita Vandenbeld was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of the Central Assembly and Political Parties Section of the Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe Mission in Kosovo The project included support to the Assembly of Kosovo in developing a professional secretariat, supporting committees in review of draft legislation, technical advice and support to the women's caucus, and a new member orientation (induction) program following the 2007 elections. Vandenbeld was also an advisor to the Independent Oversight Board of Kosovo which acted as an independent public service tribunal to end nepotism and promote a professional public service.

The Parliamentary Centre

Anita Vandenbeld worked on parliamentary strengthening in the Balkans with the Ottawa-based Parliamentary Centre, a Canadian non-profit, non-partisan organization that provides support to parliaments around the world. As part of the South East Europe Parliamentary Program (SEPP) Vandenbeld was responsible for the Parliamentary Centre's programming in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and assisted with the related program in Serbia to establish an office of an Auditor General in Belgrade.

Political career

On November 28, 2010, Vandenbeld won a contested nomination to be the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean for the 2011 Canadian federal election. Vandenbeld was defeated by MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird.

Since being elected, Vandenbeld holds weekly 'mini-Town Hall' coffee hours on Friday evenings open to all constituents. These were initially held at a local Tim Hortons and are now held virtually because of the pandemic.

Vandenbeld again sought the Ottawa West-Nepean federal Liberal nomination for the 2015 Canadian federal election, winning a contested nomination against two other candidates on November 2, 2014. Her election campaign was successful, winning the seat with 56% of the vote on October 19, 2015. Her 35,199 votes represented the 5th highest vote total of any Liberal candidate in Ontario and the highest vote count for a female candidate in Ontario. In her first term, Vandenbeld sat on the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development and on the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. While on the Foreign Affairs committee Vandenbeld put forward amendments to strengthen the Arms Trade Treaty, and initiated a study of Canada's International Democracy Promotion. Vandenbeld was also the founding chair of the all-party Democracy Caucus.

From 2015 to 2018 Vandenbeld was the Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus and she helped to re-establish the all-party women's caucus. One of her first activities as chair of the parliamentary women's caucus was to host the first-ever indigenous blanket ceremony for reconciliation on Parliament Hill. Vandenbeld also mentored future women candidates through weekly phone calls.

Chair of Special Committee on Pay Equity

In March 2016, Vandenbeld was elected as Chair of the Special Committee on Pay Equity, which was formed by a motion in the House of Commons to close the gap in pay between men and women which contributes to income inequality and discriminates against women, accept pay equity as a human right, and accept the recommendations of the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force Report. The final report, which had a consensus of all parties, called "It's Time to Act" was tabled on June 9, 2016. As a result, the government appointed the first Pay Equity Commissioner and passed Pay Equity legislation which comes into force August 31, 2021.

Chair of the Sub-committee on International Human Rights

Vandenbeld was chair of the House of Commons Sub-committee on International Human Rights. During her tenure as chair, the subcommittee undertook a major study of the human rights situation of the Uyghurs which ultimately led to a resolution in the Canadian Parliament declaring that the treatment of the Uyghur people in China constitutes a genocide, The subcommittee issued a second report in 2020 for which it was formally sanctioned by China. Other major studies completed while Vandenbeld chaired the subcommittee include the 'Global State of the Free Press' and 'Women Human Rights Defenders'. The report on women human rights defenders recommended a special immigration stream for human rights and democracy advocates under persecution around the world. This resulted in the Government establishing a new refugee stream for up to 250 human rights defenders and their families annually, with a special focus on journalists, women and LGBTI activists. As chair, Vandenbeld also initiated an annual recognition of women human rights champions.

Ethics Inquiry

Vandenbeld was investigated in 2018 by the Ethics Commissioner for possible violation of the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons during the 2018 Ottawa municipal election campaign by endorsing her husband. The commissioner recommended that "no sanction be imposed because it was apparent to me that Ms. Vandenbeld’s failure to comply with section 11 of the Code occurred through an error in judgment made in good faith. She had made significant efforts to comply with the rules that she had considered, namely the Members By-law of the House of Commons’ Board of Internal Economy. She expressed a sincere belief that running for public office did not engage private interests. She also immediately stopped all of her campaign activities upon seeking and obtaining my advice in October 2018."

Second term as MP

On July 29, 2018 Anita Vandenbeld was nominated as the candidate for re-election in the 2019 Canadian federal election by the Liberal Party of Canada. She was elected with 45.6% of the votes. In her second term, Vandenbeld sat on the House of Commons sub-committee on International Human Rights and the Standing Committee on National Defence.

On December 12, 2019, Vandenbeld was appointed by the Prime Minister as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence.

Third term as MP

On December 3, 2021, Vandenbeld was appointed by the Prime Minister as Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development.

Vandenbeld is the nominated candidate for the Federal Liberal party for Ottawa West-Nepean for the next federal election.

Views on Palestine

On March 18, 2024 Vandenbeld abstained from vote 658 - Canada's actions to promote peace in the middle east. Originally penned as a bid to recognize the state of Palestine, the non-binding but symbolic NDP motion was heavily edited in negotiations with the Liberals, allowing it to pass 204 to 117. Anita Vandenbeld abstained from the vote which 146 of her liberal colleagues, including the Prime Minister supported. In a statement on twitter, Vandenbeld explained that she was unavailable to vote because of personal reasons that had nothing to do with the text of the motion. In correspondence with constituents Vandenbeld stated that if she had been able to vote, she would have voted in favour of the motion. Vandenbeld has called for a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, stating "All parties to the conflict have an obligation to allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded access of humanitarian relief for civilians. Canada calls for a resumption of humanitarian pauses, and it supports urgent international efforts toward a sustainable ceasefire. Throughout, we have based our decisions on the innocent civilians involved in this conflict. As the situation continues, it is vital that life-saving humanitarian relief can reach Palestinian civilians in need."

Status of Women committee

On July 31, 2024, Vandenbeld intervened in a House of Common committee hearing on violence against women to talk about abortion, leading to both witnesses storming out of the hearing, one of them in tears. According to CBC, "both witnesses eventually left the meeting in a visible state of distress." Vandenbeld issued a statement regretting the "distress that this meeting caused the witnesses", which fell short of the apology the witnesses sought. In an op-ed Vandenbeld penned in National News Watch on August 6, 2024, Vandenbeld stated "Last week, the chair not only called a meeting on Intimate Partner Violence unilaterally with only a few days notice, but she also invited only witnesses to testify that were proposed by Conservative party members, denying other parties the right to submit names. One of the witnesses, a survivor of intimate partner violence, said she flew from California to attend the meeting. But her name was only added to the meeting agenda one hour before the meeting began. During the meeting, many parliamentary rules were broken, including allowing witnesses to show “props” – in this case photos, allowing private video footage to be taken while the meeting was in session, not ensuring that Members could speak in the order in which they put up their hands, not overruling points of order that were unrelated to procedural issues, allowing yelling and disruption in the room, and more. This kind of chaos is, in my view, part of a larger strategy of discrediting our institutions in the eyes of the public. Members are left in the difficult position of either allowing the rules to be broken, or calling it out and being vilified and gaslit through a very effective Conservative communications war machine that uses emotion to manipulate...In my focus on trying to save our committee from the same dysfunction and partisanship that has plagued other committees, I played a role in adding to their trauma and for that I am very sorry. Nothing that happened in that meeting should ever have happened."

Electoral record

Other activities

Volunteer positions and boards

Anita Vandenbeld is a member of the steering committee of the World Movement for Democracy, a global network of civil society activists, scholars, parliamentarians, thought leaders, journalists and funders who are committed to advancing democracy.

Vandenbeld is a founding member of the Parliamentarian Rapid Response Team (PARRT) of Parliamentarians for Global Action. PARRT is a unique cohort of democracy champions to respond nimbly, intervening when parliamentarians and human rights defenders are at risk.

Vandenbeld was also a board member at the Parliamentary Centre, a non-partisan non-governmental Canadian organizations dedicated to supporting inclusive and accountable democratic institutions.

Vandenbeld was a founding board member of the Centre for Democratic and Participatory Governance in Brussels.

Vandenbeld also volunteered as chapter development chair for Equal Voice, a Canadian multi-partisan organization to promote women in politics.

Awards and medals

In 2008, Anita Vandenbeld was awarded the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal for her work in Kosovo

Anita Vandenbeld was a recipient of the 2021 Esprit de Corps 'Breaking Down the Barricades - Top Women in Defence' award.

Anita Vandenbeld is a recipient of the 'Leading Women-Leading Girls' community service award.