1. Chandrakanth "Chandra" Arya was born on 1963 and is an Indian-Canadian politician.
22 Facts About Chandra Arya
1. 2.
Chandra Arya represented the riding of Nepean in the House of Commons of Canada as a member of the Liberal Party from 2015 to 2025.
3.
Chandra Arya was the chairman of the Indo-Canada Ottawa Business Chamber prior to entering politics.
4.
Chandra 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.
5.
Chandra Arya served as a member of the Standing Committee on International Trade.
6.
In 2022, Chandra Arya became the first member of parliament to speak in Kannada, his mother tongue, in the House of Commons of Canada.
7.
Chandra Arya blamed "Khalistani extremists" for vandalizing Hindu temples in Toronto.
8.
In summer 2024, Chandra Arya travelled to India and met prime minister Narendra Modi.
9.
Chandra Arya declared his candidacy for the 2025 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election upon the resignation of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
10.
Chandra Arya cannot speak French, but does not believe his lack of French matters to French-speaking Canadians.
11.
Chandra Arya proposes taxing expatriate citizens, would remove carbon pricing, and supports recognizing Palestine as a state.
12.
In 2016, political journalist Kady O'Malley reported that Chandra Arya faced an ethics inquiry after awarding 26 graduating elementary, middle school, and high school students either an Amazon Kindle e-reader or $500 in cash for showing "perseverance in the face of adversity".
13.
Chandra 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.
14.
In 2021, Chandra Arya apologized after a staffer emailed private information of nine hundred constituents to Conservative Party of Canada staffers.
15.
When Chandra Arya raised a flag on Parliament Hill to celebrate the event, academics from the Universite du Quebec a Montreal and groups from the Hindus for Human Rights sent letters to Trudeau arguing that the flag represented Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a Hindu nationalist organization.
16.
Chandra Arya told CBC News that the flag "represented the Hindu faith" and "not support for any political organization".
17.
In September 2024, Canadian news website The Breach accused Chandra Arya of advocating for causes close to the Hindu far right.
18.
In February 2023, Global News reported that from July 2020 to September 30,2022, Chandra Arya outpaced his house colleagues in "protocol" gifts by purchasing 1,025 plaques for a total worth of $21,931 by using taxpayer funds.
19.
Chandra Arya 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.
20.
In March 2024, Chandra 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.
21.
Manimekalai argued that Chandra Arya used his position to legitimize threats against her, while over a hundred academics, activists, and community organization members sent a letter criticizing Chandra Arya's remarks to prime minister Trudeau.
22.
Chandra Arya defended his actions, asserting that he had never been required to seek government permission for such engagements.