[12] He 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.

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.

[31] 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[32] The delegation met with President Kabila,[33] 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.

[35] This extensive public awareness campaign included television and radio commercials, a music video,[36] billboards, factsheets and newspaper advertisements.

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.

[49] While on the Foreign Affairs committee Vandenbeld put forward amendments to strengthen the Arms Trade Treaty,[50] and initiated a study of Canada's International Democracy Promotion.

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.

[63] Other major studies completed while Vandenbeld chaired the subcommittee include the 'Global State of the Free Press'[64] and 'Women Human Rights Defenders'.

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.

[66] 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.

[67] 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.

In her second term, Vandenbeld sat on the House of Commons sub-committee on International Human Rights[70] and the Standing Committee on National Defence.

[74] 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.

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.

[89] Vandenbeld was also a board member at the Parliamentary Centre,[90] a non-partisan non-governmental Canadian organizations dedicated to supporting inclusive and accountable democratic institutions.

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

[96] Anita Vandenbeld is a contributing author to the Oxford Handbook of Transnational Feminist Movements[97] 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'.

[98] As part of the Cambridge Viet-Nam Women's Leadership Programme, Anita Vandenbeld co-authored the UNDP publication 'Women's Representation in the National Assembly of Viet Nam: The Way Forward'.

[101] - 'Enhancing Women's Political Participation: A Policy Note for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States'[102] As chair of the Canada-Kosovo Parliamentary Friendship Group, Anita Vandenbeld hosted a reception on Parliament Hill bringing together Kosovo refugees who arrived in Canada in 1999, and the Canadians who helped them to settle here.