by Juwairiya Kembo
Liberal politician Chandra Arya returns to power in the Nepean riding as one of the only visible minority Member of Parliament representing an Ottawa-area riding.
He is amongst the 56 elected visible minority MPs considered y in the 43rd Parliament.
In the last federal election, there was a total of 47 visible minority MPs, making up 17 per cent of the parliament.
According to an analysis of Statistics Canada, non-white Canadian individuals accounted for more than seven million of the country’s population, making up 22.3 per cent of the population.
Visible minorities represent 26 per cent of Ottawa’s population.
Clicking on the double arrow to the left of the map produces two tabs: one for a summary, the other for the legend.
(Map showing per-cent of visible minority in the Ottawa region and elected MPs. Source: Statistics Canada)
“The very fact that a guy like me could become a member of Parliament in Canada and in Nepean shows that Canadians actually recognize the kind of work we do,” said Arya.
In the 2019 federal elections, Arya received 45.7 per cent of the votes, while his closest competitor Brian St. Louis from the Conservative party received 33.3 per cent and the NDP candidate Zaff Ansari had 13.1 per cent.
Despite his win, Arya received fewer votes compared to the 2015 election, in which he grabbed 52 per cent of the votes.
Under the former government, Arya sponsored the private member’s Bill C-305, which deals with harm done to one’s property due to crime motivated by hate based on religion, race, colour, and national or ethnic origin.
The Bill is now a permanent part of an amended Criminal Code of Canada.
During the all-candidates’ debate, he said that he has three main objectives going into the Parliament: Affordable housing for all; help 11 million working Canadians without any pension plan; and maintain Canadian prosperity within the society and economy.
Priorities
Arya is a first-generation Canadian who earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in business administration while studying in India, according to the Liberal platform.
Before entering politics, he worked for an economic development agency called Invest Ottawa, was a member of Unity Non-Profit Housing Corporation Ottawa, and was the Vice President of Ottawa Community Immigrants Services Organization.
Having lived in Nepean for over 11 years, Arya vowed to advocate for new and upgraded infrastructure in Nepean.
Given the growth in numbers for the employees in Nepean, Arya has pledged to see that it benefits from the Canada Infrastructure Program funding given by the federal government.
He insists community space for seniors and recreational facilities for the community are needs that can be met through new and improved infrastructure.