Even as Canada attempts to manage its relationship with the United States, a former Indo-Canadian Cabinet Minister has been appointed as the country’s Consul General in Los Angeles.
The appointment of Kamal Khera, who held different portfolios under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then incumbent Mark Carney, came amid a slew of announcements, all related to the US.
Khera will replace Zaib Shaikh, a TV personality, who was given the diplomatic post by the Trudeau government. Khera, a nurse by training, was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015 from the riding (as constituencies are called in Canada) of Brampton West. She was re-elected in 2019 and 2021 when she entered the cabinet for the first time as Minister of Senior. Her last portfolio was that of health.
She was defeated in the 2025 federal election by Conservative Amarjeet Gill, making her the only cabinet minister to lose in that cycle, which saw the Liberals return to power under Carney.
In a statement on X, Khera said that she was honoured to join Team Canada in the United States and said she looked forward to working with Canada’s Ambassador to Washington “to strengthen the Canada-US relationship.”
Canada’s current CG in San Francisco is another Indo-Canadian, Rana Sarkar, who has been stationed there since 2017. Sarkar served as the president and chief executive officer of the Canada-India Business Council from 2009 to 2013.
Renegotiations of the Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement (CUSMA) are in progress after Washington refused to extend the agreement on July 1.
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand announced the appointment of four Consul Generals in America, including Khera, on Tuesday.
Andrea Clements, a career diplomat who has served as trade commissioner, will assume charge as CG in Detroit. Claire Kennedy, who has served on the Bank of Canada’s Board of Directors, will take over in Chicago, while Susannah Pierce will become CG in New York. Pierce is a former oil industry executive who is currently as chair of the Business Council of British Columbia.
