Arpan Khanna

Khanna was born in Brampton, Ontario to immigrants from Punjab, India.{{Cite web |last=Bramptonist |date=2019-10-06 |title=FEDERAL ELECTION: Who's Running in Brampton North |url=https://bramptonist.com/federal-election-whos-running-in-brampton-north/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Bramptonist |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Conservative Party Candidate Profile: Arpan Khanna |url=https://www.heartfm.ca/news/local-news/conservative-party-candidate-profile-arpan-khanna/ |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=104.7 Heart FM |language=en}} He graduated from the University of Western Ontario.https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-byelection-oxford-racist-conservatives-say-1.6884133 Khanna is a practicing lawyer.{{Cite news |last=Rana |first=Abbas |date=January 9, 2023 |title=Conservative Party's outreach chair Khanna to duke it out with Conservative MP MacKenzie's daughter Tait and former senior ministerial staffer Roth in the coveted riding of Oxford, Ont., nomination |pages=4 |work=The Hill Times |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/010923_HT_1-1.pdf}} Until January 2024, Khanna sat on the board of governors of the Robert Land Academy, a private boarding school.{{Cite web |last=Vasey |first=Nick-Taylor |date=August 21, 2024 |title=Dog days in the fish bowl |website=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/ottawa-playbook/2024/08/21/dog-days-in-the-fish-bowl-00175231}}

In 2022, he and his family moved to Woodstock to win an election.{{Cite web |last=Calvi |first=Leon |date=June 23, 2023 |title=Q+A: Oxford MP-elect Arpan Khanna on unexpectedly tight win |url=https://www.simcoereformer.ca/news/local-news/qa-oxford-mp-elect-arpan-khanna-on-unexpectedly-tight-win |website=Simcoe Reformer}}

During the Harper government, Khanna was a ministerial staffer for Jason Kenney. He was also an outreach staffer to Tim Hudak.{{Cite web |last=Vasey |first=Nick-Taylor |date=December 13, 2022 |title=A death in the family |website=Politico |url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/ottawa-playbook/2022/12/13/a-death-in-the-family-00073606}}

In 2023, Khanna was named 12 to watch on Canada's rapidly rising right by the National Post{{Cite web |last=Lévesque |first=Catherine |date=September 6, 2023 |title=The new conservatives: 12 to watch on Canada's rapidly rising right {{!}} Best of 2023 |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/the-new-conservatives-12-to-watch-on-canadas-rising-right}} and in 2024, he was named one of the Top 25 most influential Conservatives in federal politics by the Hill Times.

{{Main|2019 Canadian federal election}}

Khanna unsuccessfully challenged Liberal incumbent Ruby Sahota in Brampton North.{{Cite web |title=Conservatives hang on to federal Oxford riding with Khanna edging Hilderley {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9779508/conservatives-hang-on-to-federal-oxford-riding-with-khanna-edging-hilderley/ |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=980 CFPL |language=en-US}} During the campaign, a 2010 tweet resurfaced in which Khanna used a homophobic slur. He apologized unequivocally for his remarks, noting he was a teenager at the time the comments were posted.{{Cite web |last=Blackwell |first=Tom |date=September 13, 2019 |title=Conservative candidate apologizes 'unequivocally' for allegedly homophobic comments on Twitter |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/election-2019/conservative-candidate-apologizes-unequivocally-for-allegedly-homophobic-comments-on-twitter |access-date=July 2, 2023 |website=National Post}}

{{Main|2022 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election}}

Khanna served as the Ontario co-chair for Pierre Poilievre's successful leadership bid.{{Cite web |title=Top 25 most influential Conservatives in federal politics |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/09/16/top-25-most-influential-conservatives-in-federal-politics/433890/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}} Subsequently, he became the national outreach chair for the Conservative Party.

{{Main|2023 Oxford federal by-election}}

In 2023, Khanna decided to run for the Conservative Nomination for the Riding of Oxford to succeed then-Member of Parliament, Dave MacKenzie. In February 2023, MacKenzie criticized Khanna for promoting a quote implying that Conservative leader, Pierre Poilievre endorsed him for the nomination and the party was supporting Khanna's candidacy. MacKenzie believed it a violation of the party nomination rules based on the Conservative's code of conduct.{{Cite web |title='It pains me to do this': former Tory MP MacKenzie blasts Poilievre and Scheer for favouring Oxford, Ont., nomination candidate |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2023/02/25/former-tory-mp-mackenzie-blasts-poilievre-and-scheer-for-favouring-khanna-in-oxford-ont-nomination/379788/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |title=Election meddling top of mind in Tory nomination race facing membership fraud complaints |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2023/03/23/election-meddling-top-of-mind-in-tory-nomination-race-facing-membership-fraud-complaints/382529/ |access-date=2023-03-24 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}} When another candidate, Gerrit Van Dorland backed by anti-abortion groups, was disqualified by the Conservatives, Khanna, disagreed with the decision on social media and asked the party to reverse the decision.{{Cite web |title=Conservatives defend ousting Ontario candidate amid anger from anti-abortion group |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9555015/conservative-oxford-van-dorland-nomination-disqualification/ |access-date=2023-03-16 |website=Global News |language=en-US}} In April 2023, Khanna defeated two other candidates such as MacKenzie's daughter, Deb Tait, a Woodstock city-county councillor.{{Cite web |title='Hijacked': Riding officials quit after heated Conservative nomination fight |url=https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/hijacked-party-officials-quit-after-heated-conservative-nomination-fight |access-date=2023-04-09 |website=lfpress |language=en-CA}} In January 19, 2024, it was reported that Canadian Security Intelligence Service was probing the nomination race due to reports that the Government of India interfered in favour of Khanna.{{Cite web |last=Kheiridden |first=Tasha |date=Oct 17, 2024 |title=Tasha Kheiriddin: Trudeau's interference allegations a dramatic act of self-preservation |url=https://nationalpost.com/opinion/tasha-kheiriddin-trudeaus-interference-allegations-a-dramatic-act-of-self-preservation |website=National Post}}{{Cite web |last=PressProgress |date=2024-01-19 |title=CSIS Investigating Southwestern Ontario Conservative Nomination Vote, Conservative Sources Say |url=https://pressprogress.ca/csis-investigating-southwestern-ontario-conservative-nomination-vote-conservative-sources-say/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=PressProgress |language=en}}

MacKenzie, who cited concerns in the leadership race announced his endorsement for local realtor, David Hilderley, who was the Liberal candidate.{{Cite news |date=2023-04-24 |title=Former Ontario Tory MP backing Liberal in byelection in riding |language=en-CA |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-former-ontario-tory-mp-backing-liberal-in-byelection-in-riding/ |access-date=2023-04-25}} This led the Conservatives to deploy their entire caucus to campaign for Khanna.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-29 |title=Pierre Poilievre has a likability challenge. Here's what Conservative insiders say he should do about it — and where he's going wrong |url=https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2023/06/29/pierre-poilievre-has-a-likeability-challenge-heres-what-conservative-insiders-say-he-should-do-about-it-and-where-hes-going-wrong.html |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=thestar.com |language=en}} On June 19, Khanna was elected to the riding, defeating candidates such as Hilderley. After the race, operatives from the Conservatives, accused the Liberals of racism due to them emphasizing Hilderley local ties to riding while contrasting that Khanna was an outsider; the Liberals argued that the Conservatives were deflecting.

{{Main|2025 Canadian federal election}}

Khanna along side fellow caucus member Tim Uppal are responsible for the party outreach towards minority communities.{{Cite web |title=Top 25 most influential Conservatives in federal politics |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2024/09/16/top-25-most-influential-conservatives-in-federal-politics/433890/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}} During the 2025 federal election, The Hill Times reported potential nomination candidates such as Keshav Mandadi, a former University of Toronto sessional instructor who was seeking the party nomination for the riding of Mississauga East—Cooksville, said that Khanna and Pram Gill, a former Ontario Progressive Conservative cabinet minister, influence nomination decisions in Ontario ridings.{{Cite web |title='I was totally shocked': shut-out Tory nomination hopefuls blast backroom players for denying them contests in GTA, Calgary, and B.C. |url=https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2025/03/31/i-was-totally-shocked-shut-out-tory-nomination-hopefuls-blast-backroom-players-for-denying-them-contests-in-gta-calgary-and-b-c/455662/ |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=The Hill Times |language=en-CA}} Mandadi later elaborated that he was told to direct donations to Khanna, in which he did by sending $20,000 to the Oxford Conservative Association, as a way of getting an appointment from Khanna to ensure that the nomination race was fair.{{Cite web |title='You're the star candidate'—Conservative hopeful says he was courted for donations, then dumped without explanation |url=https://thepointer.com/article/2025-04-04/you-re-the-star-candidate-conservative-hopeful-says-he-was-courted-for-donations-then-dumped-without-explanation |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=The Pointer |language=en}}

{{2025 Canadian federal election/Oxford}}

{{2023 Canadian federal by-elections/Oxford}}

{{2019 Canadian federal election/Brampton North}}

{{reflist}}

{{Current Members of the Canadian House of Commons}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khanna, Arpan}}

Category:Place of birth missing (living people)

Category:Living people

Category:Conservative Party of Canada MPs

Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario

Category:Canadian people of Indian descent

Category:Candidates in the 2019 Canadian federal election

Category:1990 births

Category:21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada