OTTAWA — Liberal MP Chandra Arya’s leadership campaign is barely one week old but he’s already being scolded by his own colleagues for saying that Quebecers don’t care if the prime minister speaks French.

Arya, who does not speak French and does not intend to learn it, has argued that Canadians and Quebecers don’t care which language their leader speaks as long as their core concerns — namely prosperity, the economy and affordability — are addressed.