Meet Chandra Arya—the Liberal leadership candidate who thinks French doesn't matter in Quebec
Ottawa-area MP Chandra Arya holds many of the same policy stances as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but diverges in his belief that Quebecers aren't overly concerned with Canada's leader speaking French.
On March 9, the Liberal Party of Canada will announce its next leader, a decision that will determine the country’s next prime minister. Among the candidates vying for the position is Chandra Arya, the member of Parliament for the Ottawa-area riding of Nepean, and who has sat in the House of Commons since 2015.
Born in Karnataka, India, Arya immigrated to Canada in 2006. While he has built a political career in his adopted country, his record has drawn both support and criticism. Arya has been outspoken on issues affecting Hindu temples in Canada, but some have noted his silence on incidents such as church burnings.
Communication has been another area of contention. Although Arya is listed as bilingual on government platforms, he has admitted to not speaking French, stating that delivering results matters more than language fluency.
Arya's policy stances align closely with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s current leadership. During the pandemic, he echoed Trudeau’s rhetoric about the unvaccinated, supporting mandates and the invocation of the Emergencies Act. His social media activity during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests reflected strong backing for the government’s actions.
On foreign policy, Arya has raised eyebrows by opposing a foreign agents registry, citing potential harm to Canada-India relations, even as concerns about election interference grow. He has also voiced support for Palestine and described Israel as occupiers, while maintaining limited commentary on recent incidents of antisemitism.
Arya’s tenure hasn’t been without controversy. In 2021, his office faced scrutiny for sharing, by mistake, private voter information with an unintended audience, though no sanctions followed.
As the Liberal leadership race unfolds, Arya’s track record will likely come under closer examination.
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Alexandra Lavoie
Quebec based Journalist
Alexa graduated with a degree in biology from Laval University. Throughout her many travels, she has seen political instability as well as corruption. While she witnessed social disorder on a daily basis, she has always been a defender of society’s most vulnerable. She’s been around the world several times, and now joins Rebel News to shed light on today’s biggest stories.
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