Who is Chandra Arya, the Karnataka-born Canadian MP who has joined the race to replace Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister

Chandra Arya, the Indian-origin Member of Parliament from Canada's Nepean has filed his nomination for the position of Prime Minister, replacing Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation earlier this month. A total of six people have joined the race to replace Trudeau as the new leader of the Liberal Party.

Today, we submitted the $50,000 compliance deposit to the Liberal Party for the leadership contest (the deadline is January 23).
We have received more than 1,000 endorsements (well above the required 300) from across Canada.
Additionally, we have secured over 200 endorsements¡­ https://t.co/k1V3YU9peA

¡ª Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) January 18, 2025

Contenders to replace Justin Trudeau

They are former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, former Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney, House leader Karina Gould, and MPs Chandra Arya, Jaime Battiste, and Frank Baylis.

Who is Chandra Arya

The 62-year-old Arya is the only non-white candidate to enter the race to replace Trudeau so far. Arya, who was born in the Tumkur district of Karnataka, is an MBA graduate from Karnataka University.

CREDIT: Chandra Arya

Arya, who later migrated to Canada, began his political career in 2015 when he was elected from Nepean to the House of Commons of Canada. Arya was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections from Nepean.

Chandra Arya spoke in Kannada in House of Commons

Proud of his heritage, Arya has never shied away from speaking in his mother tongue, Kannada, or defending his religion, Hinduism, which has come under attack in Canada in recent years.

Arya, who in 2022 became the first Member of Parliament to speak in Kannada in the House of Commons of Canada, once again addressed the House in his mother tongue after filing his nomination for the post of Prime Minister.

CREDIT: ANI

Critic of Khalistan

A vocal critic of Khalistan, Arya has long blamed Khalistani supporters for the attacks on Hindu places of worship in Canada. Despite the recent strain in India-Canada relations under Trudeau, Arya has advocated for closer ties between the two countries. Arya also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in August last year.

I am running to be the next Prime Minister of Canada to lead a small, more efficient government to rebuild our nation and secure prosperity for future generations.
We are facing significant structural problems that haven¡¯t been seen for generations and solving them will require¡­ pic.twitter.com/GJjJ1Y2oI5

¡ª Chandra Arya (@AryaCanada) January 9, 2025

Can Chandra Arya be the next Canadian Prime Minister

While he may have entered the race to replace Trudeau, the chances of Arya becoming the next Prime Minister of Canada are very slim. That is because Canada has never had a non-white Prime Minister, and the post has been held by white anglophones and francophones.

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