Arif Virani

Arif Virani (born November 23, 1971) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was elected in the 2015 federal election to represent Parkdale—High Park (a riding in the central-west part of Toronto on the lakefront) in the House of Commons of Canada, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada.
On December 2, 2015, he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, but was shuffled out of that post on January 28, 2017, when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Multiculturalism). On August 30, 2018 he was shuffled once again, this time into the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Background.
Virani's roots are in Ahmedabad, though he was born in Kampala. Virani is a multilingual Ismaili Muslim who came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda. Upon arriving in Canada in 1972 his family found solace in the Stanley Street YMCA in Montreal. His family then became more permanently established in Toronto. Virani spent his childhood growing up in the Flemingdon Park and Willowdale neighborhoods.
Education.
Virani received a joint honours Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from McGill University in 1994. He then graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Virani remained connected to the University of Toronto Faculty of Law following his graduation by remaining involved with its alumni committee.
Legal career.
Virani began his legal career by articling for Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in 1999. Following this he worked in London, United Kingdom for a year with the support of the Harold G. Fox scholarship. 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. In 2003 he then went on to work as a lawyer for the constitutional law branch of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. He does not currently practise law as he serves in his role as a Member of Parliament. He remains an L1 class licensed lawyer according to the Law Society of Ontario. This means he is "entitled to practise law in Ontario as a barrister and solicitor".
Personal life.
Virani lives in Roncesvalles Village in Toronto with his wife Suchita Jain, originally from London, Ontario, and their two sons.