Chandra Arya, an Indian-origin MP, has announced that he will be running for Canadian Prime Minister following Justin Trudeau’s resignation.
Just four days after Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as Canadian PM amid internal discord within the Liberal Party, Chandra Arya, an Indian-origin Member of Parliament, announced that he would run for the position of Prime Minister of Canada from the party. In a lengthy post on X, formerly Twitter, Chandra Arya said he would run to lead a “small, more efficient” government to rebuild Canada.
Through his post, Arya addressed several challenges facing Canada and his party and offered his expertise and knowledge to help the country overcome those challenges, which include affordability issues for students, a struggling middle class, and a crippling economy. He said Canada faces a “perfect storm” right now and that the country “deserves leadership that isn’t afraid to make the big decisions.” He added that he is ready to take on this responsibility and lead the country.
“Decisions that rebuild our economy restore hope, create equal opportunities for all Canadians, and secure prosperity for our children and grandchildren. Bold political decisions are not optional—they are necessary. With prudence and pragmatism as my guiding principles, I’m stepping forward to take on this responsibility and lead Canada as its next Prime Minister,” he wrote in his post.
To garner support, Arya has also released his website, which carries his complete statement and will be updated with his stance on several political issues and his policy proposals.
On several occasions, Arya has extended his support to the Hindu community in Canada and has expressed concerns about Khalistani extremism in the country.
Who is Chandra Arya?
Chandra Arya is an Indian-Canadian politician affiliated with the Liberal Party who represents New Zealand in the House of Commons. He is an engineer turned politician who has won thrice from Nepean since 2015.
Chandra Arya hails from Karnataka. He is from Dwaralu village in Shira taluka of Tumakuru district, about 70 km from Bengaluru. He proudly represented his cultural roots when he made a speech in his mother tongue, Kannada, in the Canadian Parliament in 2022. “I spoke in my mother tongue (first language), Kannada, in the Canadian parliament. This beautiful language has a long history and is spoken by about 50 million people. This is the first time Kannada is spoken in any parliament outside of India,” he had said in a post on Twitter, now X.
“A person from the country of India in Karnataka, Tumakuru district, Shira taluka, and Dwaralu village has been elected to the parliament of Canada, and speaking in Kannada is a matter of pride for 5 crore Kannadigas,” he had said in his speech.
Chandra Arya, who moved to Canada with his wife and son over twenty years ago, did his engineering and a master’s in business administration from India. Before entering politics, he had a long stint in the tech and business sectors. According to his website, he started as an engineer before joining a “financial institution funding small industry.” He then started his entrepreneurial journey and owned a manufacturing firm.
After moving to Canada, Arya started his career as an investment advisor in a bank and worked as an executive at a defence firm for six years before joining politics. He was motivated by his passion for strengthening the middle class.
He also served as Chair of the Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber and was the founder-director of the Federation of Canadian Brazilian Businesses, among many other achievements.
He resides in Nepean with his wife, Sangeetha, who worked at the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and his son, Sid, a chartered accountant.
