Arif Virani

Mr. Virani is a U. of T. Law alumnus (Valedictorian, Class of ’98) who commenced his legal career on Bay St. at a national law firm, and trained as a Fox Scholar at the Middle Temple, in London, U.K. In 2003 he transitioned to the Constitutional Law Branch, at the Ministry of the Attorney General (Ontario). He has been involved in first instance and appellate litigation involving constitutional and human rights law at every level of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Mr. Virani has also worked at both the Quebec and Canadian Human Rights Commissions, and prosecuted war crimes with the UN at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

In 2015 Mr. Virani was elected for the first time to the Canadian House of Commons, representing the Toronto constituency of Parkdale-High Park.  Between 2015 and 2025 he served 3 consecutive terms as a Member of Parliament, occupying the roles of Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration, Heritage, Justice, Democratic Institutions and International Trade.  From 2023 to 2025, he was appointed by the Prime Minister as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. He is currently Senior Counsel in the Litigation Group at Torys LLP.

Mr. Virani is a frequent public speaker, has led Canadian delegations to the UN and at the G7, and is the recipient of many awards for legal excellence, including the 2008 Wilson-Prichard Award as a Distinguished Young Alumnus of the U. of T. Faculty of Law. He speaks English, French and some Hindi, and in his free time enjoys travelling, shooting baskets with his kids, sports documentaries and trivia.