New Delhi: In just a spate of few weeks, 3 Indian-origin candidates have been knocked out of the leadership race in Canada’s Liberal Party, both at the national and at the provincial level. While it has fuelled speculations of the exclusion of Indian heritage people in the leadership race, including comments from the candidates themselves, the Liberal Party would point out that these disqualifications adhered to established rules. Two candidates at the national level, Ruby Dhalla and Chandra Arya, were knocked out of the race, while Viresh Bansal was suspended as Ontario Liberal Candidate for Oshawa.

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At the national level, following Justin Trudeau’s announcement in January 2025 that he would step down, the Liberal Party initiated a leadership contest, the winner of which will automatically become Canada’s next prime minister until the next federal election.
Ruby Dhalla, a former MP, was disqualified due to violations that were “extremely serious”, something she rejected. 

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The former MP, slamming the decision, said, “I will not allow my campaign to be tarred with baseless allegations of foreign interference because of my Indian heritage and being the daughter of an immigrant.”

In fact, Dhalla learned of her disqualification on live TV on CBC news, and in a quick reaction, she pointed out “speaks of the state of the Liberal Party of Canada," terming the leaks as “alarming”.

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Azam Ishmael, Liberal Party of Canada National Director, said in a statement that she was in breach of 10 violations, which include “concerns about alleged violations of the Canada Election Act, certain other election finance matters, nondisclosure of material facts, and inaccurate financial reporting”.

Similarly, the candidacy of Chandra Arya, another candidate of Indian-origin, was rejected earlier, leading him to question the process. “I was informed by the Liberal Party of Canada that I will not be permitted to enter the leadership race,” said Chandra, adding, “This decision raises significant questions about the legitimacy of the leadership race and, by extension, the legitimacy of the next Prime Minister of Canada.”

The rejection came despite his payment of the initial deposit and was based on a rule allowing the party to disqualify candidates deemed “manifestly unfit” for leadership, though specific reasons were not disclosed. Arya has been one of the most vocal voices in the party over issues impacting Canada’s Indian diaspora, including the Khalistan threats and violence.

 

At the provincial level, Viresh Bansal was disqualified as the Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Oshawa, the elections for which are scheduled for next week, on February 27. He was disqualified after his 2023 post resurfaced, in which he had made derogatory comments on NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Justin Trudeau.

According to Canada’s Global News, Bansal had posted, in the aftermath of Nijjar’s killing, “You can thank India for cleaning trash people. Ask your gay friend @JustinTrudeau to do the same,” for which he later apologised. The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO), which has backed the idea of Khalistan, was instrumental in calling for Bansal’s removal due to his inflammatory social media posts, which contributed to his campaign suspension.

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The developments in Canada’s Liberal Party come even as India-Canada ties remain strained over PM Justin Trudeau’s claims of alleged Indian involvement in the killing of Canadian national and supporter of Khalistani extremist ideology Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a listed terrorist in India, was a key supporter of Khalistani extremism in Canada. Trudeau himself has been seen going soft on anti-India activities by Khalistani extremists in the country, pandering to domestic vote bank politics, including taking part in rallies in which anti-India remarks have been made by Khalistani extremists elements. 

India has for long criticised Canada for harbouring “extremists,” a charge that gained traction after Nijjar’s death.