61 Facts About Anita Vandenbeld

Anita Vandenbeld was re-elected in the same riding in 2019, and re-elected in 2021.

Anita Vandenbeld was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, in the neighbourhood of Bowness.

Anita Vandenbeld attended Assumption School and graduated from St Francis High School in 1989.

Anita Vandenbeld's parents were immigrants from the Netherlands who built their own log home, in which she spent her early childhood.

Anita Vandenbeld's father was born in Deventer, the Netherlands in 1940 at the beginning of World War Two.

In 1945, Herman Anita Vandenbeld got his first candy from Canadian soldiers during the Liberation of the Netherlands.

Anita Vandenbeld's family were union leaders who were part of the Dutch underground resistance during World War Two.

Anita Vandenbeld was the eldest of a working-class family who arrived at Pier 21 in Halifax in 1960 with all their worldly possessions, including the bed that he slept in for 52 years of marriage to Anita's mother, Maria.

Anita Vandenbeld worked as a labourer for several years in Calgary before starting his piano tuning business which he ran with his wife Maria for 40 years.

Anita Vandenbeld's mother Maria was a kindergarten teacher who immigrated from the Netherlands at the age of 19.

Anita Vandenbeld met Anita's father while boarding with his family in Calgary.

Anita Vandenbeld was the first in her family to graduate from University.

Anita Vandenbeld was the President of the University of Calgary Young Liberals during her student years.

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

Anita Vandenbeld was a Policy Analyst with the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau in the Canadian Parliament, and Chief of staff to a Canadian Senator.

Anita Vandenbeld worked on several short and long-term projects with the United Nations Development Programme and UNIFEM.

Anita Vandenbeld 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.

Anita 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 Anita 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.

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.

Anita 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.

Anita 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.

Anita Vandenbeld led a program of inter-party dialogue to support peaceful competition in elections.

Anita Vandenbeld established a steering committee of 15 majority, opposition and unaligned political parties that met weekly in the months leading to the 2011 national elections.

Anita Vandenbeld worked in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Kosovo with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

In Kosovo, Anita Vandenbeld was a senior advisor to the Assembly of Kosovo in 2007 and 2008 before Kosovo declared independence on February 17,2008.

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 program following the 2007 elections.

Anita Vandenbeld was 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.

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.

On November 28,2010, Anita Vandenbeld won a contested nomination to be the Liberal Party of Canada candidate for Ottawa West-Nepean for the 2011 Canadian federal election.

Anita Vandenbeld was defeated by MP and Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird.

Since being elected, Anita Vandenbeld holds weekly 'mini-Town Hall' coffee hours on Friday evenings open to all constituents.

Anita 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.

Anita Vandenbeld was the founding chair of the all-party Democracy Caucus.

From 2015 to 2018 Anita Vandenbeld was the Chair of the National Liberal Women's Caucus and she helped to re-establish the all-party women's caucus.

In March 2016, Anita 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.

Anita Vandenbeld was chair of the House of Commons Sub-committee on International Human Rights.

Anita 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.

Anita Vandenbeld 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.

Anita Vandenbeld expressed a sincere belief that running for public office did not engage private interests.

Anita Vandenbeld immediately stopped all of her campaign activities upon seeking and obtaining my advice in October 2018.

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.

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

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

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

On March 18,2024 Anita Vandenbeld abstained from vote 658 - Canada's actions to promote peace in the middle east.

Anita Vandenbeld abstained from the vote which 146 of her liberal colleagues, including the Prime Minister supported.

In correspondence with constituents Anita Vandenbeld stated that if she had been able to vote, she would have voted in favour of the motion.

On July 31,2024, Anita 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.

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.

Anita Vandenbeld is a founding member of the Parliamentarian Rapid Response Team of Parliamentarians for Global Action.

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

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

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

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.

Anita Vandenbeld is a contributing author to the Oxford Handbook of Transnational Feminist Movements having written the chapter on 'International Trends in Women's Political Participation'.

Anita Vandenbeld contributed a chapter on women's political participation to the book 'Turning Parliament Inside Out: Practical Ideas for reforming Canada's democracy'.

Anita Vandenbeld contributed to several other United Nations Development Program and UNIFEM publications, including:.

Anita Vandenbeld contributed to the National Democratic Institute publication 'Political Parties and Democracy in Theoretical and Practical Perspectives: Developing Party Policies'.