Liberal Party Revokes Riding Nomination for MP, Leadership Hopeful Chandra Arya

Liberal MP Chandra Arya walks to a press conference highlighting the first-time home buyer incentive, at Tamarack Homes' Cardinal Creek Village development in Ottawa on March 20, 2019. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Liberal MP Chandra Arya has been informed by his party that his candidacy for the upcoming election in the Nepean riding has been revoked, just weeks after his removal from the Liberal leadership race.

National Campaign Director Andrew Bevan informed Arya in a March 20 letter that the Liberal Party’s National Campaign Co-chair had conducted a “thorough review” of his eligibility as a candidate in the next federal election.

The co-chair recommended Arya’s status be revoked based on “new information” by the chair of the Green Light Committee, the letter said. It did not provide any further details.

Arya said the news was “deeply disappointing” but did not diminish the “profound honour and privilege it has been to serve the people of Nepean, and all Canadians.” Arya said he was proud of the work he had done for Canadians and the causes he had stood for “even when it came at a personal or political cost.”

Arya was the second candidate and first current Liberal caucus member to declare his candidacy for the leadership of the Liberal Party in January. He submitted the required paperwork and a $50,000 deposit to enter the race.

Arya announced on Jan. 26 that the party had informed him he was out of the running to lead it.

The Liberal Party didn’t disclose its reasons for disqualification. The party also rejected another candidate, former Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla, citing alleged irregularities in campaign finances, a charge Dhalla denied, saying she was being targeted by the “establishment.”

During the leadership campaign, Arya had said that a Canadian prime minister doesn’t need to speak French, which was met with strong criticism by the Quebec caucus of the Liberal Party.

In 2023, Arya, who has been an MP since 2015, sponsored a petition in the House of Commons calling for the Liberal government to reconsider setting up a “foreign influence transparency registry.” The petition said such a registry was a “misleading way to identify sources of foreign influence“ and posed the risk of causing “serious harassment and stigmatization risk for racialized communities.”

The petition was tabled as the government said it was considering such a registry amid widespread intelligence reports of China’s meddling in Canadian elections. The government enacted the registration as part of its legislation to combat foreign interference that was passed last year.