Amid the ongoing tussle between India and Canada, Mélanie Joly is leading the Ottawa’s charge against New Delhi. Joly is the foreign affairs minister of Canada. She was the one who announced the expulsion of an Indian diplomat accusing India of carrying out Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. Nijjar was a pro-Khalistani terrorist wanted in India. He was shot dead in June this year in Canada. Joly is known for her vocal statements often stirring controversy.
Who Is Melanie Joly?
Melanie Joly was born on January 16, 1979, and spent her formative years in Ahuntsic, the northern neighbourhood of Montreal. Her father, Clément Joly, held roles such as the president of the Liberal Party’s finance committee in Quebec and the manager of the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority from 2002 to 2007. Her stepmother, Carole-Marie Allard, is a lawyer and journalist who served as a Member of Parliament representing Laval—East from 2000 to 2004.
Melanie Joly’s Career
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Joly pursued her education at Université de Montréal and later at Brasenose College, Oxford. In 2001, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from Université de Montréal and subsequently became a member of the Barreau du Québec. Joly was then awarded the Chevening scholarship, allowing her to further her studies at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she achieved a Magister Juris in comparative and public law in 2003. In 2007, she had an internship at Radio-Canada. Initially embarking on her professional journey, Joly practised law at two prominent Montreal law firms, Stikeman Elliott and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.
Melanie Joly’s Political Career
Before entering federal politics, Joly founded the Vrai changement pour Montréal party and ran for mayor of Montréal in 2013 under its banner. In 2015, Joly left municipal politics and announced her candidacy for the nomination of the Liberal Party of Canada in the new electoral district of Ahuntsic-Cartierville for the 2015 federal election.
In 2015, she secured her first election to represent the Ahuntsic-Cartierville region of Canada in the House of Commons. Over the years, she has ascended to the position of Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister and earned recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Her notable roles have encompassed serving as Minister of Economic Development, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, as well as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Recently, Politico referred to Joly as a ‘Trudeau protégé’ and speculated about her potential to assume his position in the future.