Nepean MP Chandra Arya has announced that he has been disqualified from running in the Liberal Party’s leadership race, a decision he says raises serious concerns about the contest’s legitimacy.
In a statement shared on social media, Arya revealed that he was informed by the Liberal Party on Saturday that he would not be permitted to participate in the race to replace outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“While I await their official communication, I am carefully considering my next steps,” Arya said. “This decision raises significant questions about the legitimacy of the leadership race and, by extension, the legitimacy of the next Prime Minister of Canada.”
Arya was one of seven leadership hopefuls who had submitted their nomination packages by the party’s 5 p.m. ET deadline last Thursday, meeting the first financial requirement to enter the contest.
Liberal Party spokesperson Parker Lund stated that candidate approvals would be finalized “within 10 days,” and that Elections Canada would also need to verify the nominations, a process that could take several more days. The party has clarified that official candidates will only be announced once both party and Elections Canada approvals are secured.
Arya thanked his supporters and volunteers for their encouragement throughout his campaign efforts, but did not specify the reasons cited by the party for his disqualification.
The news has already sparked questions within political circles about the transparency of the leadership process.