Canadian Parliament on Tuesday witnessed a rare moment as the Indian origin Canadian MP, Chandra Arya, spoke in his mother tongue Kannada. This is the first time Kannada is spoken in any parliament in the world outside of India.
Arya, who represents the electoral district of Nepean in the House of Commons, said, “I spoke in my mother tongue (first language) Kannada in Canadian parliament. This beautiful language has long history and is spoken by about 50 million people. This is the first time Kannada is spoken in any parliament in the world outside of India.”
Arya, who hails from Tumakuru district in Karnataka, was re-elected from the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2019 federal election. Arya completed his bachelor’s degree in engineering from Ramanagara and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Dharwad in Karnataka.
Before he entered politics, Arya worked in the high-technology sector. He resides in Nepean with his wife Sangeetha who worked at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. Their son, Sid, is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA).
