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Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada

Hon. Arif Virani

  • Member of Parliament
  • Minister of Justice Attorney General of Canada
  • Liberal
  • Parkdale—High Park
  • Ontario
  • Voting Attendance: 64%
  • Expenses Last Quarter: $120,537.19

  • Government Page
Context: House Hansard - 327 - Jun/7/24
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Jun/7/24 10:53:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I genuinely thank the member opposite for her contributions to today's debate because it is really important. I will point out four things and then ask her a question. The first is that, with respect to my position on amendments, what I said, and I want to make sure it is crystal clear to Canadians watching, is that I am open to amendments that would strengthen the bill that are made in good faith. The second point is with respect to free-standing hate crime, which is a provision that exists in 47 out of 50 states in the United States. The nature of the penalty that would be applied in a given context of a hate crime would depend on the underlying offence. Uttering a threat that was motivated by hate would constitute less of a penalty than committing a murder that was motivated by hate. For the member's benefit, paragraph 718.1 of the Criminal Code, which I do trust judges to interpret, specifically says that the penalty “must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender.” With respect to the peace bond, what I would say to the member's point, quite simply, is that I do believe it is necessary to take a tool that is well known to criminal law and apply it to the context of a synagogue, which has already been targeted with vandalism and may be targeted again, where there would be proof needed to be put before a judge and where the safeguard would exist for the attorney general of jurisdiction to give consent before such a peace bond was pursued. The member talked about the fact that Criminal Code tools should be used in the context of ensuring that we can tackle this pernicious information. What I would say to her is that law enforcement has asked us for the same tool that Amanda Todd's mother has asked us for. The victimization of people, even after death, continues when the—
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:38:22 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier in today's discussion, there remains a mandatory minimum penalty for people who are involved in a robbery with a restricted firearm, of five—
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:35:13 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the mandatory minimum penalty to which I am referring is actually larger than what the member just quoted. It is a seven-year mandatory minimum penalty, which is appropriate in those circumstances.
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:34:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, violent extortion that involves a prohibited firearm attracts a mandatory minimum penalty.
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:33:33 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-5 
Madam Chair, there is a mandatory minimum penalty that is in place right now that was unchanged through Bill C-5. If someone does use—
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:32:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there is a mandatory minimum penalty in place for people who use a restricted or prohibited firearm. The—
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:32:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I have indicated, extortion is on the rise. We have a mandatory minimum penalty for a repeat offender who uses a weapon for extortion. We are ensuring that extortion is being taken seriously because it is on the rise.
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Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:21:26 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the legislative changes we are making target those who use violence. This member has already said that he opposes changing the penalty for people who use violence—
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Context: House Hansard - 276 - Feb/6/24
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Feb/6/24 2:57:38 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-5 
Mr. Speaker, he is entitled to his own opinions, but he is not entitled to his own facts. Bill C-5, which he just mentioned, maintained a mandatory minimum penalty for auto theft. That is what the Conservatives apparently want to repeal. Bill C-75, which he just mentioned, actually enhanced the maximum penalty for auto theft, moving it from 18 months to two years less a day. That apparently is what they want to repeal. This problem cannot be fixed by suggesting redundant changes that already exist in the Criminal Code. We fix this problem by being the adults in the room, convening people and coming up with a complex solution to a complex problem.
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