He will continue to serve as justice minister
Federal attorney general of Canada Arif Virani has announced that he will not be running for re-election this year.
He confirmed in his statement that he would remain the member of parliament for Parkdale-High Park until the following election. He would also continue as justice minister.
The announcement comes a month after Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as prime minister. Virani first took on the attorney general and justice minister positions in 2023.
In a statement posted on X on Monday, Virani cited his family as the reason for his decision, explaining that his wife and two sons “have only known a life with their husband and dad in politics, frequently out of the city, sometimes out of the country.”
“People say that is the price of public service. But it is hard to appreciate the toll that price takes unless you live it, personally in my case, for over a decade,” Virani wrote in his statement. “My family have given so much to allow me to pursue my dreams of serving not only our community, but our nation. It is my turn now to give back to the people I love the most.”
Before his election to parliament in 2015, Virani was a government lawyer in Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General. He then became the Parkdale-High Park MP for three consecutive elections.
He served as parliamentary secretary to the ministers of immigration, heritage, democratic institutions, justice and trade. Subsequently, he was appointed to what he described as his “dream job” – justice minister and attorney general of Canada.
Over the 12 months to April 2024, he appointed 92 judges and initiated changes to accelerate the judicial appointment process in partnership with the Privy Council Office and the Department of Justice. He also played a role in extending the term of the Judicial Appointments Committees and the maximum application assessment time to three years.
During Virani’s term, Supreme Court of Canada Justice Mary Moreau was appointed. Women judges also dominated the court with a 5:4 ratio after the appointment of Justice Moreau to the nine-person panel.
Virani helped develop the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63), which was proposed last year and seeks to regulate social media platforms. Moreover, he tackled Indigenous reconciliation in relation to a non-derogation clause to the Interpretation Act, which protects Aboriginal and treaty rights; Bill S-13 received Royal Assent and was implemented last November.
He also supported Bill C-40, which modifies the Criminal Code, in line with a push to address overrepresentation in the justice system and the correction system of Indigenous and Black Canadians.
Editor's Note: This article has been corrected to clarify that the only Supreme Court of Canada judge appointed by Arif Virani was Justice Mary Moreau.
