Liberal MP vying to be next prime minister dismisses importance of French language
Darren Major, Catharine Tunney | CBC News | Posted: January 9, 2025 9:00 AM | Last Updated: January 10
Chandra Arya, first sitting MP to launch leadership campaign, has vowed to dump monarchy if elected
Ottawa MP Chandra Arya — who announced on Thursday that he would be running to replace Justin Trudeau as the next Liberal leader and prime minister — says he doesn't speak French and doesn't believe it will matter to French-speaking Canadians.
During an interview on CBC News Network's Power & Politics on Thursday, host David Cochrane asked Arya about his French ability.
"How's your French?" Cochrane asked near the end of the interview.
"Nope," Arya immediately replied.
When asked if his lack of French could hinder his ability to reach out to French-speaking Canadians and Quebecers, Arya quickly dismissed those concerns.
"Whether [it's] Quebecers or English Canadians — it's not the language that matters, it's what is delivered to them," he said.
"But the language matters very much in Quebec," Cochrane suggested. Arya disagreed.
"No. At the end of the day, Quebecers see who delivers what," he said.
WATCH | Chandra Arya dismisses concerns that he doesn't speak French:
Arya is the first Liberal caucus member to declare their intention to run to replace Trudeau.
In a statement released earlier on Thursday, Arya said he wants to make "Canada a sovereign republic," which would require replacing the monarchy as the head of state.
"It's time for Canada to take full control of its destiny," he wrote in a statement.
In his interview with Power & Politics, Arya said his commitment to get rid of the monarchy would resonate with Quebecers.
"One of the things that matters to Quebecers [is] ... being a sovereign republic, and which prime minister has ever talked about that?" he said.
Arya said he also wants to "lead a small, more efficient government with a cabinet selected on merit and not on [diversity, equity and inclusion] quotas."
"We are facing significant structural problems that haven't been seen for generations, and solving them will require tough choices," he said.
His 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 recognizing Palestine as a state.
Arya was first elected by Nepean voters in 2015 and has been a backbench MP ever since.
He hasn't always been in line with the government's policies. In 2023, he sponsored a petition calling on the Liberals to reconsider plans to introduce a foreign agent registry in response to serious allegations of foreign interference in Canadian politics. The registry legislation has since passed, but it's not yet up and running.
His ties to India have raised eyebrows amid worsening diplomatic relations.
Last summer, 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."
His August 2024 visit came nearly a year after Trudeau accused "agents of the Indian government" of carrying out the fatal shooting of a Canadian Sikh leader.
Speaking to Power & Politics on Thursday, Arya said he "absolutely" supported the government's foreign agent registry.
Arya also defended his meeting with Modi, saying he has met with a number of foreign leaders in the past.
"We still have diplomatic relations there. Tell me, what is the issue ... if an MP meets the prime minister of India?" he told Cochrane.
"There's nothing there," he said.
WATCH | Chandra Arya's full interview on Power & Politics:
Liberal executives meeting
The list of people lining up to replace Trudeau continues to shift as top Liberal brass meet on Thursday to consider their next move. Many potential candidates say they want to know the rules of the campaign before committing.
After a frenzy of formal and informal meetings this week following Trudeau's decision to step down, the Liberal Party's national council will gather to try to hammer out how to run a race to find the next party leader — and Canada's next prime minister — against a ticking clock.
As an executive member, Trudeau will be in attendance, sources told Radio-Canada.
While many MPs got their way by getting Trudeau out the door, his decision to wait until early January gives the party little runway to write the rules for a campaign, hold a leadership contest and then pivot to an increasingly inevitable spring election.
Arya joins businessman and former MP Frank Baylis on the list of people who have said they publicly plan to run.
A number of cabinet insiders said they are reflecting. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson and Employment Minister Steven MacKinnon have all said they are considering a run.
Former central banker Mark Carney has also said he's interested. Former finance minister Chrystia Freeland, former B.C. premier Christy Clark and House Leader Karina Gould are said to be gathering supporters, too.
WATCH | MP says Dominic LeBlanc has broad support in caucus:
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he would not seek the top job, saying he's better placed to focus on Canada's relationship with the U.S.
Some MPs are still urging him to run. But in a statement on Thursday, LeBlanc reiterated that he's out of the running.
"I have been deeply touched by the colleagues who have asked me to reconsider my decision not to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada. But as I have expressed clearly to many of them, I do not intend to reconsider," he said.
MPs call to change rules around who can vote
Liberal MPs who gathered in Ottawa on Wednesday for a national caucus meeting said they were keen to learn what governing rules the executive will set out, including whether cabinet ministers will have to vacate their portfolios if they want to run and what the party will do to confront foreign interference threats.
Currently, non-Canadian residents are allowed to vote in Liberal Party riding nomination and leadership contests, which have been called a "gateway" for foreign interference.
WATCH | What some Liberal MPs are looking for in a leader:
A growing contingent of MPs urged the party executive to heed those warnings. There are other details the party will need to sort out, such as the entrance fee amount and when the ballots will be counted.
Toronto-area MP Rob Oliphant said he'd like to see a leader in place by the first weekend in March.
"I think we can do it and it be fast," he said on his way into Wednesday's hours-long caucus meeting.
Ottawa-area MP Yasir Naqvi stressed that while the planning is hastened, integrity needs to be upheld.
"We need to make sure that the process is credible, that the process is fair and transparent," he said. "We need to ensure that Canadians have confidence in the process."
Whoever wins the Liberal race will become Canada's next prime minister, although based on the party's polling, it could be a short-lived time in office.
According to the CBC's Poll Tracker, the Conservatives have opened a 24-point lead over the Liberals.