Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani takes the oath of office as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
He came to Canada as an infant with his refugee family, South Asians expelled from Uganda in 1972, and taken in during the Liberal years of Pierre Trudeau.
Fifty-one years after arriving – his initial home was at a Montreal YMCA – Arif Virani is the first Ismaili Muslim to become Justice Minister and Attorney-General of Canada, appointed this week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pierre’s son.
“You just think about what Canada represents. There are multiple refugees that were just sworn into cabinet yesterday, and it’s quite a statement,” Mr. Virani said in an interview with The Globe and Mail, mentioning Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the Minister of Tourism, and Gary Anandasangaree, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, as two others.
Mr. Virani will immediately be on the hot seat as Justice Minister.
Violent crime is on the rise, the latest data from Statistics Canada show. The public is especially anxious about it – and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre can be expected to go hard at Mr. Virani on a perceived weakness of the government.
Peter MacKay, a former Conservative justice minister, said in an interview that the public views sentences as too light, and that people feel more at risk on the streets and in their homes.
“There is a vulnerability that the Liberal government is suffering under right now, that they’re soft on crime. This is a well-worn path for the Conservatives,” he said.
And the legal system is facing enormous upset from within, over the seeming dysfunction of the judicial appointments system; not only are 81 judges’ jobs vacant on the federally appointed courts, such as the top trial and appeal courts of the provinces, several of the committees that screen candidates have ceased to operate. Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Wagner voiced his displeasure to the Prime Minister in writing this spring.
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Mr. Virani said his first briefing as minister began with a discussion of judicial appointments, which are made by cabinet on the advice of the Justice Minister. “I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure there is no lack of effort, diligence or efficiency on the part of my office,” he said.
As for crime, he acknowledged that rising violence is an issue.
“We can talk about violence in Canadian society coming out of COVID, and people’s concerns about it, which are completely legitimate. I think there has to be, in part, a criminal-justice response to that.”
As an example of what Mr. Virani intends to do, he mentioned pressing forward with the changes to bail law introduced by his predecessor, David Lametti, in May, but yet to be debated and voted on in Parliament.
“We’re keen to get that across the finish line,” he said.
The proposed law was developed after a nationwide call from premiers for action on repeat, violent offenders. It pulls the system in a different direction from that of a 2019 federal law, passed during Mr. Lametti’s tenure, that instructed bail judges to give particular attention to groups overrepresented in the justice system, such as Indigenous people, racialized minorities and those with mental illness.
Daniel Brown, president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, said the proposed law is “window dressing” that won’t make the public safer but will hurt the marginalized who lack legal resources to make effective arguments for release.
Mr. Virani disagreed, saying the focus is on violence and weapons. A married father of two boys, ages 9 and 12, he said he explained to his younger son this week about the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous people incarcerated, and that it is one of the areas where he can have a direct impact.
“Yes, it’s the fundamental problem of any government to keep their citizens safe. But how you address it, and how you address the root causes of criminality, is something I’m privileged from this vantage point to be able to influence. … If you’re looking at the root causes of crime, you can look at things such as the health care system, housing, education availability, rehabilitation programs.”
He added: “It’s hard to respond to Pierre Poilievre with a three-word phrase, but the three-word phrase I would use is ‘smart on crime.’ ”
Shuffling the deck
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau executed a cabinet shuffle on Wednesday that left his top few ministers in their jobs, but switched things up for 23 members of the 38-person cabinet. Seven new ministers came in, while seven former ministers got bounced from cabinet. Here are the people now getting briefed up on new portfolios.
MINISTER
NEW ROLE
PREVIOUS ROLE
Anita
Anand
President of the Treasury Board
National Defence
Marie-Claude
Bibeau
National Revenue
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Bill
Blair
National Defence
Emergency Preparedness
Employment, Workforce Development
and Official Languages
Randy
Boissonnault
Tourism
Jean-Yves
Duclos
Public Services and Procurement
Health
Sean
Fraser
Housing, Infrastructure
and Communities
Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship
Karina
Gould
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Families, Children
and Social Development
Mark
Holland
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Health
Ahmed
Hussen
Housing and Diversity
and Inclusion
International Development
Rural Economic Development
and Minister responsible for the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency
Rural Economic
Development
Gudie
Hutchings
Kamal
Khera
Diversity, Inclusion and Persons
with Disabilities
Seniors
Intergovernmental
Affairs, Infrastructure and
Communities
Dominic
LeBlanc
Public Safety, Democratic Institutions
and Intergovernmental Affairs
Diane
Lebouthillier
Fisheries, Oceans and
the Canadian Coast Guard
National Revenue
Lawrence
MacAulay
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Veterans Affairs
Marc
Miller
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Crown–Indigenous Relations
International Trade, Export Promotion,
Small Business and Economic
Development
Mary
Ng
Export Promotion,
International Trade and Economic
Development
Seamus
O’Regan Jr.
Labour and Seniors
Labour
Ginette Petitpas
Taylor
Veterans Affairs and
Associate Minister of National Defence
Official Languages
Employment, Workforce
Development and
Disability Inclusion
Carla
Qualtrough
Sport and Physical Activity
Pablo
Rodriguez
Transport and will continue
to serve as Quebec Lieutenant
Canadian Heritage
King’s Privy Council for Canada/Emergency
Preparedness/responsible for the Pacific
Economic Development Agency of Canada
Harjit S.
Sajjan
International Development
Pascale
St-Onge
Canadian Heritage
Sport
Jonathan
Wilkinson
Energy and Natural Resources
Natural Resources
john sopinski/THE GLOBE AND MAIl, SOURCE: government of canada
photos: the canadian press
Shuffling the deck
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau executed a cabinet shuffle on Wednesday that left his top few ministers in their jobs, but switched things up for 23 members of the 38-person cabinet. Seven new ministers came in, while seven former ministers got bounced from cabinet. Here are the people now getting briefed up on new portfolios.
MINISTER
NEW ROLE
PREVIOUS ROLE
Anita
Anand
President of the Treasury Board
National Defence
Marie-Claude
Bibeau
National Revenue
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Bill
Blair
National Defence
Emergency Preparedness
Employment, Workforce Development
and Official Languages
Randy
Boissonnault
Tourism
Jean-Yves
Duclos
Public Services and Procurement
Health
Sean
Fraser
Housing, Infrastructure
and Communities
Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship
Karina
Gould
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Families, Children
and Social Development
Mark
Holland
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Health
Ahmed
Hussen
Housing and Diversity
and Inclusion
International Development
Rural Economic Development
and Minister responsible for the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency
Rural Economic
Development
Gudie
Hutchings
Kamal
Khera
Diversity, Inclusion and Persons
with Disabilities
Seniors
Intergovernmental
Affairs, Infrastructure and
Communities
Dominic
LeBlanc
Public Safety, Democratic Institutions
and Intergovernmental Affairs
Diane
Lebouthillier
Fisheries, Oceans and
the Canadian Coast Guard
National Revenue
Lawrence
MacAulay
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Veterans Affairs
Marc
Miller
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Crown–Indigenous Relations
International Trade, Export Promotion,
Small Business and Economic
Development
Mary
Ng
Export Promotion,
International Trade and Economic
Development
Seamus
O’Regan Jr.
Labour and Seniors
Labour
Ginette Petitpas
Taylor
Veterans Affairs and
Associate Minister of National Defence
Official Languages
Employment, Workforce
Development and
Disability Inclusion
Carla
Qualtrough
Sport and Physical Activity
Pablo
Rodriguez
Transport and will continue
to serve as Quebec Lieutenant
Canadian Heritage
King’s Privy Council for Canada/Emergency
Preparedness/responsible for the Pacific
Economic Development Agency of Canada
Harjit S.
Sajjan
International Development
Pascale
St-Onge
Canadian Heritage
Sport
Jonathan
Wilkinson
Energy and Natural Resources
Natural Resources
john sopinski/THE GLOBE AND MAIl, SOURCE: government of canada
photos: the canadian press
Shuffling the deck
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau executed a cabinet shuffle on Wednesday that left his top few ministers in their jobs, but switched things up for 23 members of the 38-person cabinet. Seven new ministers came in, while seven former ministers got bounced from cabinet. Here are the people now getting briefed up on new portfolios.
MINISTER
NEW ROLE
PREVIOUS ROLE
Anita
Anand
President of the Treasury Board
National Defence
Marie-Claude
Bibeau
National Revenue
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Bill
Blair
National Defence
Emergency Preparedness
Employment, Workforce Development
and Official Languages
Randy
Boissonnault
Tourism
Jean-Yves
Duclos
Public Services and Procurement
Health
Sean
Fraser
Housing, Infrastructure
and Communities
Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship
Karina
Gould
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Families, Children
and Social Development
Mark
Holland
Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons
Health
Ahmed
Hussen
Housing and Diversity
and Inclusion
International Development
Rural Economic Development
and Minister responsible for the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency
Rural Economic
Development
Gudie
Hutchings
Kamal
Khera
Diversity, Inclusion and Persons
with Disabilities
Seniors
Intergovernmental
Affairs, Infrastructure and
Communities
Dominic
LeBlanc
Public Safety, Democratic Institutions
and Intergovernmental Affairs
Diane
Lebouthillier
Fisheries, Oceans and
the Canadian Coast Guard
National Revenue
Lawrence
MacAulay
Agriculture and Agri-Food
Veterans Affairs
Marc
Miller
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Crown–Indigenous Relations
International Trade, Export Promotion,
Small Business and Economic
Development
Mary
Ng
Export Promotion,
International Trade and Economic
Development
Seamus
O’Regan Jr.
Labour and Seniors
Labour
Ginette Petitpas
Taylor
Veterans Affairs and
Associate Minister of National Defence
Official Languages
Employment, Workforce
Development and
Disability Inclusion
Carla
Qualtrough
Sport and Physical Activity
Pablo
Rodriguez
Transport and will continue
to serve as Quebec Lieutenant
Canadian Heritage
King’s Privy Council for Canada/Emergency
Preparedness/responsible for the Pacific
Economic Development Agency of Canada
Harjit S.
Sajjan
International Development
Pascale
St-Onge
Canadian Heritage
Sport
Jonathan
Wilkinson
Energy and Natural Resources
Natural Resources
john sopinski/THE GLOBE AND MAIl, SOURCE: government of canada photos: the canadian press
Mr. Virani, who knew Mr. Trudeau when they were undergraduates at McGill, said concern for human rights and equality underpins everything he has done. That has been the case as a student – he wrote a thesis on Martin Luther King Jr. and civil rights, and a law-school thesis at the University of Toronto on the caste system in India – and in his career.
He was a founder of a South Asian legal aid clinic in Toronto – the prepolitics career accomplishment he says he is most proud of.
Called to the bar in 2001, he worked for the constitutional law branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General from 2003 to 2015, when he was first elected to Parliament. During a sabbatical, he worked as a prosecutor of Rwandan war criminals. He also went to India and worked on police reform.
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