SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

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 - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 10:28:28 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, I think the better question would be on how much not addressing gun violence would cost Canadians in terms of their mental health and their physical health.
29 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
Mr. Speaker, I would be very open to looking at what is transpiring in California. Centring victims at the heart of our criminal justice strategy is important, and we have been attempting to do that with respect to victims of hatred, through the online hate bill; victims of child sex predation, through Bill C-63; victims of intimate partner violence, through our changes to the bail regime, not once but twice, through Bill C-48 and Bill C-75; and fundamentally, victims of gun violence in this country, through bills like Bill C-21, which would put a freeze on handgun sales and ensure tougher penalties with respect to things like gun trafficking. These are important provisions, but I am definitely willing to entertain suggestions about what California is doing and look at whether the model could be brought over.
140 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:53:38 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, the weapons that are being used in terms of violence against women include guns. That is what we have heard at committee. That is why we implemented legislation to freeze handgun sales and to regulate the fact that red flag laws—
44 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:53:09 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, I am encouraged by the member's passion for addressing domestic violence; it's got to be a passionate priority for all of us. I am discouraged by the fact that when we introduced legislation that would have things like a red flag law to take a gun away from an abusive spouse, the member voted against it.
60 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:52:40 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, intimate partner violence is a critical crisis situation. It is an epidemic not just in Ontario, but also around the country. That is why we are targeting it through measures that relate to—
36 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:52:24 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, I have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic, and I was quite clear in doing so in response to the Renfrew County inquest.
25 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:21:26 p.m.
  • Watch
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—
30 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 316 - May/23/24
Hon. Arif Virani
  • May/23/24 8:20:43 p.m.
  • Watch
Madam Chair, those who resort to violence when stealing a vehicle will be subject to harsher sentences thanks to the changes that we—
24 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 286 - Feb/27/24
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Feb/27/24 3:14:04 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-48 
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the question. Domestic violence and intimate partner violence is a top priority on this side of the House. We addressed this issue twice, in Bill C‑75 and in Bill C‑48 with respect to bail conditions for persons charged with or involved in this type of crime. We will always fight domestic violence and protect women and men across Canada.
67 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 285 - Feb/26/24
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Feb/26/24 3:13:09 p.m.
  • Watch
Mr. Speaker, violent and sexual crimes have been a top priority for our government since we came to power. We have addressed intimate partner violence a number of times in our own bills in terms of bail and other sentences. When it comes to mandatory minimum sentences, however, we are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from the Conservative Party. To deal with indigenous and Black overrepresentation in our prisons, in our justice systems, we have to focus on the actual sentences.
85 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 256 - Nov/27/23
Hon. Arif Virani (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Nov/27/23 3:07:44 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill S-12 
Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question and her commitment. Gender-based violence is an epidemic in Canada. We recently passed Bill S‑12 to improve the national sex offender registry and give victims more power in the criminal justice process. We also passed a bill that guarantees that judges will receive sexual assault training. We will continue to fight against gender-based violence so that all Canadians, both men and women, can be safe and feel safe.
81 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 92 - Jun/20/22
Mr. Arif Virani
  • Jun/20/22 1:46:00 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Madam Speaker, it is lamentable. What I recall is actually being with that member at the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in the last Parliament and doing a study on acts of coercion and acts of aggression. Witnesses came from all parts of the country, including witnesses invited by the Conservative Party. When we put to those witnesses whether the presence of a firearm in the home increased jeopardy and vulnerability or decreased it, the answer was very straightforward. It obviously increases jeopardy. This is not something that should be partisan. This is not something that should be politicized. We all have a stake in addressing domestic violence. This is one way to do it.
117 words
All Topics
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 90 - Jun/16/22
Mr. Arif Virani (Parkdale—High Park, Lib.)
  • Jun/16/22 2:00:04 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-21 
Mr. Speaker, gun violence is a reality in every community. My riding of Parkdale—High Park is no exception. As my staff have heard repeatedly from my constituents, we must do everything in our power to combat gun violence. To date, we have banned assault-style weapons. We have cracked down on illegal trafficking. We have committed $250 million to address gang violence. With Bill C-21 we are going further. We are implementing a national freeze on the sale, purchase, transfer and importation of handguns. We are responding to the pleas of women who are victims of intimate partner violence, which often turns lethal simply because of the presence of handguns in the home. We are responding to pleas of racialized and religious minorities, who have asked that red flag laws, which enable firearms to be removed by court order, protect the anonymity of those targeted by hate. We are responding to the pleas of mental health advocates, who contend, rightly, that handguns in Canadian homes result in increased deaths by suicide. The only pleas we are ignoring are those of the gun lobby, who would criticize us for working to keep Canadians safe.
196 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border