As Minister of Justice, Arif represented Canada: internationally as Head of Delegation to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Head of Delegation to the G7 Law Ministers Meeting in Italy, Head of Delegation to the Cross Border Crime Forum with the U.S. Attorney General in Washington, D.C.; and nationally as Chair of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Meetings and Co-Chair of the Action Committee on Modernizing Court Operations with C.J.C. Richard Wagner.

In 2023-24, Arif successfully advanced legislation through the House of Commons and Senate to support the Canadian justice system: S-12 (Sex Offender Registry); C-40 (Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission); C-48 (Bail Reform); C-62 (Medical Assistance in Dying); C-69 (Auto Theft); S-13 (Upholding Aboriginal and treaty rights under s.35); C-70 (Foreign Interference).

In 2023-25, Arif collaborated with Indigenous leaders across Canada in developing and ensuring the release of Canada’s Indigenous Justice Strategy; he served as lead Minister at numerous bilateral tables with Inuit, First Nations and Métis leaders and held lead responsibility for implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan across twenty-five federal departments.

In 2025, Arif finalized and released Canada’s first Black Justice Strategy targeting overrepresentation in the justice system in conjunction with an expert steering group.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade, Arif led Canadian trade delegations to: Mining Indaba, (Cape Town, 2022); Responsible Business Conduct (OECD, Paris, February 2023); SME and Entrepreneurship Ministerial Meeting (OECD, Paris, June 2023). He also led consultations with entrepreneurs on the creation of Canada’s Africa Strategy for strengthened economic co-operation.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, Arif advanced legislative reforms including: C-7 (Medical Assistance in Dying Reform); C-337 (Judicial Training re Sexual Assault); C-4 (Ban on anti-2SLGBTQI+ Conversion Therapy); C-84 (Animal Protections).

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Heritage, Arif led work at Heritage Canada to consult with First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders across the country to co-develop the Indigenous Languages Act and secure passage of this landmark legislation.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Arif assisted in the resettlement of over 50,000 Syrian refugees, Canada’s largest nationwide refugee resettlement initiative since 1979.

Earlier in his career, Arif was Crown Counsel for the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario in the Constitutional Law Branch, litigating disputes and providing advice under the Charter and the division of powers, and challenges under the Human Rights Code. He also served as a war crimes prosecutor for the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and trained as a Fox Scholar at the Middle Temple, London, U.K. Arif began his legal career in private practice as a commercial, civil and public law litigator.