Arif Virani

Arif Virani
MP
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism)
Assumed office
January 28, 2017
Minister Mélanie Joly
Preceded by Vacant
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Parkdale—High Park
Assumed office
October 19, 2015
Preceded by Peggy Nash
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
In office
December 2, 2015 – January 27, 2017
Minister John McCallum
Preceded by Costas Menegakis
Succeeded by Serge Cormier
Personal details
Born (1971-11-23) November 23, 1971
Kampala, Uganda
Political party Liberal
Spouse(s) Suchita Jain
Children 2
Residence Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater University of Toronto (Law)
Profession Lawyer

Arif Virani MP (born November 23, 1971) is a Canadian lawyer and politician.[1] He was elected in the 2015 federal election to represent the riding of Parkdale—High Park in the House of Commons of Canada, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.[2]

On December 2, 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship,[3] but was shuffled out of that post on January 28, 2017, when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism).[4]

Background

Virani's roots are in Ahmedabad, though he was born in Kampala.[5] Virani is a multilingual Ismaili Muslim who came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda.[2] Upon arriving in Canada in 1972 his family found solace in the Peter Street YMCA in Montreal.[6] His family then became more permanently established in Toronto.[2] Virani spent his childhood growing up in the Flemingdon Park and Willowdale neighborhoods.[6] He remained in Toronto until attending university at McGill University in Montreal after which he returned to Toronto to attend the University of Toronto.[6]

Education

Virani received a joint honours Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from McGill University in 1994.[7] He then graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.[8] Virani remained connected to the University of Toronto Faculty of Law following his graduation by remaining involved with its alumni committee.[9]

Virani began his legal career by articling for Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in 1999.[7] Following this he worked in London, United Kingdom for a year with the support of the Harold G. Fox scholarship.[7] This scholarship for recent graduates of the Bar Admission Course allows for a pupilage with leading Barristers at the Inns of Court in London, United Kingdom.[10][11] In 2003 he then went on to work as a lawyer for the constitutional law branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.[7][1] He does not currently practise law as he serves in his role as a Member of Parliament.[12] He remains an L1 class licensed lawyer according to the Law Society of Ontario.[12] This means he is "entitled to practise law in Ontario as a barrister and solicitor".[13]

Personal life

Virani lives in Roncesvalles Village in Toronto with his wife Suchita Jain, originally from London, Ontario, and their two sons.[2][14]

Electoral record

Canadian federal election, 2015
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalArif Virani24,62342.04%+9.15–
New DemocraticPeggy Nash23,56640.24%-6.96–
ConservativeIan Allen7,64113.05%-2.5–
GreenAdam Phipps1,7432.98%-0.29–
LibertarianMark Jeftovic6101.04%––
MarijuanaTerry Parker1910.33%-0.09–
Marxist–LeninistLorne Gershuny1000.17%+/-0.00–
IndependentCarol Royer930.16%––
Total valid votes/expense limit 58,567100.0   $210,593.15
Total rejected ballots 269–––
Turnout 58,836–––
Eligible voters 76,952–––
Source: Elections Canada[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Profile - Virani, Arif". PARLINFO. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hasham, Alyshah (October 19, 2015). "Arif Virani wins in Parkdale-High Park". Toronto Star. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Bill Blair, Adam Vaughan among new parliamentary secretaries". www.cbc.ca. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  4. ↑ "Arif Virani". www.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2017-02-08.
  5. ↑ Bhattacharyya, Anirudh (February 8, 2016). "How an Indian-origin MP in Canada is helping Syrian refugees". Hindustan Times. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Harper, Tim. "For one Liberal MP the refugee backlash cuts close to home". www.thestar.com. Toronto Star. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 RACANELLI, HELEN. "Why Arif Virani ran for Parliament". Precedent - The New Rules of Law and Style. Precedent Magazine. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  8. ↑ Boisseau, Peter (October 3, 2016). "Jackman Law Building officially opens". www.utoronto.ca. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  9. ↑ Boisseau, Peter (October 3, 2016). "Jackman Law Building officially opens". www.utoronto.ca. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  10. ↑ "About". The Harold G. Fox Education Fund. The Harold G. Fox Education Fund. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "About the Harold G. Fox Education Fund". The Harold G. Fox Education Fund. The Harold G. Fox Education Fund. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. 1 2 "Arif Virani". Lawyer and Paralegal Directory. The Law Society of Ontario. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Licence Type Definitions". Lawyer and Paralegal Directory. The Law Society of Ontario. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Racanelli, Helen (March 8, 2016). "Why Arif Virani ran for Parliament". Precedent Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  15. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Parkdale—High Park, 30 September 2015
  16. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates Archived 2015-08-15 at the Wayback Machine.
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