Syrian refugees a priority for rookie MP in Parkdale-High Park

Newly elected MP Arif Virani is one of two rookie candidates to score a seat in Toronto for the Liberals -- and he's already pushingto get to work in Ottawa.

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The 43-year-old wants to help change Canada's response to the Syrian refugee crisis. He thinks that the government should be working to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada as soon as possible.

The refugee issue came to prominence in the election campaign after a photo was publishedof the body ofthree-year-oldAlan Kurdi, washed up on a Turkish beach. It took on particular urgency whenreports surfaced that his family was hoping to come to Canada.

The fact that I was a strong opponent to the recent tepid response to the Syrian refugee crisis resonated withpeople.ArifVirani

Some critics accused the Conservative government of dragging its feet, after StephenHarper initially refused to speed up the timetable foraccepting a further 10,000 Syrian and Iraqirefugees over three years.

As an infant,Virani himself came to this countryas a UgandanAsian refugee with the rest of his family. He grew up in Toronto with his parents and sister, earning his law degree from the University of Toronto.

Before running for the federal Liberals, he spent the last 12 years working as a human rights lawyer for the Attorney General of Ontario.

"The fact that I came here as a refugee from Uganda resonates with people.The fact that I was a strong opponent to the recent tepid response to the Syrian refugee crisis resonated with people," Virani told CBC News.

The first-time MP won back the riding of Parkdale-High Park for the Liberals from former NDP MP Peggy Nash Monday night. Nash took the ridingin 2006 and is a high-profile member of the party. Despite Nash's veteran clout Virani always thought he had a shot at the riding.

"I was always optimistic about it, because of the connections I was making at the door," Viranisaid.

As a former Crown attorney, Virani'spriorities in Ottawa alsoinclude making changes to federal legal and judicial policies.

He says the government needs to help people get work and education in order to prevent crime, instead of building more jails and enforcing mandatory minimum sentences.

Virani lives in Parkdale-High Park with his wife and two young children.