Updated 22:58 IST, January 17th 2025
Never Expected: Father Of Indian-Origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya Who Is Running For Prime Minister
Canada's Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya has announced that he is running to be the next Prime Minister.

New Delhi: K Govindaiah, father of Canada's Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya, who is running for Prime Minister's post, said they never expected that he will never run for Prime Ministership. K Govindaiah further recalled what his father-in-law used to say that Arya will become a great politician and it's coming true.
"We never expected and he too never expected that he will run for Prime Ministership. My father-in-law said he will become a great politician and it is coming true," said K Govindaiah, Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya's father.
Arya's brother Srinivasa Govindaiah said, “...he is the only person to have been elected as an MP, within a short period of entering Canada. There are many Indian origin MPs who are settled there for generations. But he was the first person from our family to go there and he did not have any contacts over there. He worked honestly... Even after getting elected for the first time, there was an anti-government wave happening there. So from the next day, he started working for the constituency. He was never doing any other business apart from politics at that time. Whatever job was assigned to him, as a Member of Parliament, he used to do.”
Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya announces he's running for Canada's Prime Minister
Canada's Indian-origin MP Chandra Arya has announced that he is running to be the next Prime Minister, hours before his Liberal Party announced that their next leader will be chosen on March 9. Arya, the MP from Nepean, Ottawa, was born in Karnataka.
Trudeau announces to step down
The development comes days after Justin Trudeau announced to step down but said he will continue to be the prime minister till the next leader is chosen.
Who is Chandra Arya?
Arya, the MP from Nepean, Ottawa, who was born in Karnataka, made the announcement on X Thursday morning ahead of the Liberal Party's meeting later in the evening.
“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,” he said in the post on X and added a long statement with it.
Stating that Canada is “facing significant structural problems” that haven’t been seen for generations, Arya said, adding that solving them will require tough choices. “For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must make bold decisions that are absolutely necessary.” The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) highlighted that Arya wants to lead a small, more efficient government “with a cabinet selected on merit and not on (diversity, equity and inclusion) quotas.”
Arya was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015.
What are Chandra Arya's agendas?
Chandra Arya's multi-page announcement includes a list of policy proposals, including increasing the retirement age by two years in 2040, introducing a citizenship-based tax system and recognising Palestine as a state, it added.
“It’s time for Canada to take full control of its destiny,” he wrote in the statement and promised to make the country “a sovereign republic.” It would require replacing the monarchy as the head of state.
After the meeting of the National Board of Directors, Sachit Mehra, president of the Liberal Party of Canada, said in a statement: “After a robust and secure nation-wide process, the Liberal Party of Canada will choose a new leader on March 9, and be ready to fight and win the 2025 election.” The National Board of Directors formally met on Thursday evening to discuss and outline the initial rules of the up-coming leadership race, the party statement added.
After the party's announcement, another CBC report said that former central banker Mark Carney has also said he's interested and added that former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former B.C. premier Christy Clark and House Leader Karina Gould are said to be gathering supporters, too.
Prior to Thursday's meeting, along with Arya, former Montreal MP Frank Baylis both said they will be running, it said.
The CBC report also pointed out how the new leader chosen on March 9 will have a tight timeline as the Gov Gen Mary Simon has prorouged Parliament untill March 24. The main three opposition parties have vowed a 'No Confidence' vote after Parliament resumes, other media reports said.
Arya, a vocal advocate for Hindu Canadians
Meanwhile, The Toronto Star newspaper said, Arya is a vocal advocate for Hindu Canadians and has clashed with other parliamentarians, including his own Liberal caucus colleagues, over his views on relations between Ottawa and New Delhi and the actions of Sikh separatists in Canada.
A few months ago, Arya sparred with New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh and Liberal caucus colleague Sukh Dhaliwal after separatist Sikh protesters clashed with Hindu worshippers at a temple in the Greater Toronto Area during a visit from Indian consular officials amid heightened tensions between Canada and India.
Last year, Arya travelled to India and met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A statement from Global Affairs Canada at the time said Arya “travelled to India on his own initiative and was not representing the Government of Canada.”
With inputs from PTI
Published 22:58 IST, January 17th 2025