Chandra Arya

Chandrakanth "Chandra" Arya (born 1963) is an Indian-Canadian politician who served as a member of Parliament (MP) representing the riding of Nepean (Ontario) in the Canadian House of Commons from 2015 to 2025. A member of the Liberal Party, he made an unsuccessful bid to become party leader in the 2025 Liberal Party election. He was replaced as MP for Nepean by Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Education and background Arya is native of Dwaralu village in Sira Taluk, Karnataka, India. He earned his MBA at Kousali Institute of Management Studies, Dharwad, an affiliate of Karnataka University. In 2006, Arya immigrated to Canada. He was the chairman of the Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber prior to entering politics.

Political career (2015–2025) Arya was elected to represent the riding of Nepean in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2015 federal election and was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections. He served as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade.

During the 2021 election campaign, Arya was criticized by members of the Ottawa Punjabi Association, who put up anti-Arya signs during the campaign. They accused him of not taking a stronger stance against the Indian government's efforts to reform certain farming practices.

On April 14, 2023, Arya sponsored petition e-4395, calling on the Liberal government to reconsider setting up a "foreign influence transparency registry." Arya told Global News that he agrees with the concerns expressed by the petitioners. Trudeau, who was asked about the petition, responded by saying he supported the registry but argued to be cautious with the implementation.

After allegations of Indian government involvement in the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar were made public, Arya said to CBC News that Hindu Canadians were "fearful" of Sikh separatist supporters. When the Toronto Star inquired about his comments, he refused to speak to them by stating that he only does "live interviews" to avoid being misquoted. In summer 2024, Arya travelled to India and met prime minister Narendra Modi. Global Affairs Canada released a statement saying that Arya "travelled to India on his own initiative and was not representing the Government of Canada." Arya could not speak French, but did not believe his lack of French matters to French-speaking Canadians. On January 26, 2025, after the party's review committee deemed Arya "manifestly unfit" to lead the party, his candidacy was ruled ineligible by the Liberal Party of Canada, and he was barred from running in the 2025 leadership election.

On March 20, 2025, the Liberal Party revoked his nomination to run under the party banner in the 2025 federal election. Two days later, Prime Minister Mark Carney was announced as the new Liberal candidate for Nepean. In May 2025, Arya said that he believed he was removed for speaking up for Hindu Canadians and against alleged Khalistan movement extremists, but he would not take any further action on the matter.

The Globe and Mail reported that Chandra was ousted due to foreign interference concerns after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service allegedly briefed the government about Arya's allegedly close ties to the Indian government of Narendra Modi and the Indian High Commission in Ottawa. Arya had previously taken a trip to India and met with Modi without informing the Canadian government.

Post-parliamentary career On May 8, 2025, Arya announced the launch of the Hindu Public Affairs Council of Canada (Canada HPAC) to lobby for Hindu-Canadian interests. Arya told The Globe and Mail that Canada HPAC would be funded by individual donations from Canadians and would not be run as a charity and identified combatting anti-Hindu sentiments and the Khalistan movement as priorities. Arya also said that he believed Indo-Canadian relations could improve under Prime Minister Carney. He proposes taxing expatriate citizens, would remove carbon pricing, and supports recognizing Palestine as a state. Arya would criminalize displays of support for terrorists and “extremism”, seeks to position Canada as an "energy superpower", and argues that Trudeau's immigration policies have caused Canada to rely on "cheap, foreign labour".

French language Chandra has argued during his 2025 leadership campaign that fluency in French should not be a prerequisite for leading the country, claiming that French-speaking Canadians prioritize effective governance over linguistic ability. He challenged the traditional expectation of bilingualism in federal politics, asserting that performance and policies matter more than language skills. His stance was widely criticized within the Liberal Party and contributed to his disqualification from the leadership race. Arya defended himself against accusations that he violated the House of Commons conflict of interest code by stating that the Nepean Liberal Riding Association paid for the award.

Email scandal In 2021, Arya apologized after a staffer emailed private information of nine hundred constituents to Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) staffers. The CPC told their staffers to delete the email and Arya didn't face any sanctions due to Canadian privacy laws.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh flag In November 2022, Arya's private member's bill, which proclaimed that November was Hindu Heritage Month, passed unanimously. When Arya raised a flag on Parliament Hill to celebrate the event, academics from the Université du Québec à Montréal and groups from the Hindus for Human Rights sent letters to Trudeau arguing that the flag represented Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organization. Arya told CBC News that the flag "represented the Hindu faith" and "not support for any political organization". In September 2024, Canadian news website The Breach accused Arya of advocating for causes close to the Hindu far right.

Taxpayer gift spending In February 2023, Global News reported that from July 2020 to September 30, 2022, Arya outpaced his house colleagues in "protocol" gifts by purchasing 1,025 plaques for a total worth of $21,931 by using taxpayer funds. Global noted that contracted to a single company SINIX Media Group, who received fifty-three contracts for an amount of $53,681.50 from Arya’s constituency office over the same period. He told the outlet that the plaques were for his constituents but ignored any questions about a working relationship with the firm's chief executive officer.

Liberal motion opposition In March 2024, Arya sent an email trying to convince his fellow members of parliament to oppose fellow Liberal caucus member Sukh Dhaliwal's motion-M112, "Political Interference, Violence, or Intimidation on Canadian Soil," stating that it would damage relations with India. Dhaliwal responded to The Hill Times that the motion was meant to protect every Canadian, regardless of background, from all forms of foreign interference. While a few parliamentarians abstained from the vote, the motion passed unanimously.

Controversy surrounding Kaali poster In 2022, when filmmaker Leena Manimekalai faced backlash online for a poster of her movie Kaali, which depicted the Hindu goddess Kali smoking and holding a rainbow flag, he condemned the poster on Twitter and linked it to vandalism of Hindu temples. Manimekalai argued that Arya used his position to legitimize threats against her, while over a hundred academics, activists, and community organization members sent a letter criticizing Arya's remarks to prime minister Trudeau.

Opposition to 1984 Anti-Sikh riots motion In December 2024, Arya claimed he was the only Liberal Party Member of Parliament to oppose a motion recognizing the 1984 anti-Sikh riots violence in India as genocide. His refusal sparked backlash from Sikh MPs, particularly Sukh Dhaliwal and Jagmeet Singh alongside the wider Sikh community who viewed it as a denial of historical atrocities. Arya later claimed he received threats following his objection and warned that a “Khalistani lobby” might seek to reintroduce the motion.

Foreign Interference In March 2025, the Liberal Party of Canada revoked Chandra Arya's nomination to run as their candidate in the Nepean riding for the upcoming federal election, following his earlier disqualification from the party's leadership race in January.

These actions were reportedly linked to concerns over foreign interference, particularly related to Arya's unauthorized trip to India in August 2024, during which he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi amid heightened tensions between Canada and India. According to The Globe and Mail, party officials were concerned about "troubling inconsistencies" in Arya's responses to a confidential questionnaire. Arya defended his actions, asserting that he had never been required to seek government permission for such engagements. Subsequently, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his candidacy for the Nepean seat.

Electoral record