Karim Jivraj Bio
Karim Jivraj is a law graduate, a past candidate for Parliament and currently a private citizen. Throughout his time in Canadian politics, Jivraj was perhaps best known for his stands on issues of identity, immigration and nationalism.
Political Views
Jivraj has been a longtime proponent of civic (as opposed to ethnic) nationalism, arguing that only a strong national identity can unite citizens of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. In 2018, he published an Op-Ed in the Toronto Star entitled “The Case to Restore Unhyphenated Canadianism,” making the case for a strong and unifying national identity as both beneficial to Canada and immigrants themselves. His position has drawn the ire of both the progressive far left and the nativist far right.
Jivraj has called left-wing identity politics and ethnic nationalism “two sides of the same coin.” His activism against ethnic nativism, religious extremism, and scientific racism hasn’t just been academic: he has taken significant risks in exposing cases of white nationalism and anti-Semitism in Canadian politics.
Jivraj has been particularly forceful in sounding the alarm bell on the growing influence of foreign interests and ideologies in the Canadian body politic: from radical Islamism, to Khalistani separatism, to the seemingly racialist worldview of a new-age Chinese cult with growing media and political influence in Canadian politics.
Background
Born in Hamilton and and raised in Toronto, Jivraj pursued his university studies overseas after graduating from the Toronto French School, which he attended for over a decade, serving as a Student President and captain of the debating society. He graduated from the Sorbonne Faculty of Law, and also pursued graduate studies at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po).
During his studies, Jivraj clerked at the Cour de cassation, France’s Supreme Court in civil and criminal matters, under the tutelage of the Premier président (Chief Justice) Vincent Lamanda.
While a student in Paris, Jivraj became an active spokesperson for labour-market reform opposing the March 2006 student riots following the Villepin government’s introduction of new measures to deregulate the labour market (la loi Contrat premiere embauche). He was invited to play a key role in creating the Alternative Libérale, a new political party advocating for significant economic liberalization.
Jivraj won a scholarship to pursue two years of graduate study at Cornell Law School, where he served as President of the National Security Law Students Association. Karim Jivraj was an active moot court advocate, advancing to the finals in the first year Langfan competition in a constitutional matter involving state gun control measures and the Second Amendment, and then winning the upper-year Cuccia Cup Moot Court Competition before a panel of U.S. federal appellate judges in a matter involving free speech protections under the First Amendment.
Trained in both French and American law, Karim’s focus has been on public international law, international commercial arbitration, Investor-State and inter-State disputes. He has worked on disputes under the auspices of various international treaties (bilateral investment treaties, NAFTA Chapter 11, Energy Charter Treaty), under various institutional rules (ICSID, ICC, LCIA), in a range of economic sectors (banking, mining, energy).
Parliamentary Run
Upon his return to Canada, Jivraj ran for Parliament in the 42nd Canadian federal election, after winning the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in University-Rosedale in an upset victory against the Party’s establishment candidate. His high-profile parliamentary run against Liberal cabinet minister and current deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was profiled in the National Post, The Walrus, CPAC and CTV News. Jivraj was asked by outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper to represent the Conservative Party at nationally broadcast debates on foreign affairs, international trade, federalism, immigration and national security.
Jivraj played an instrumental role in helping merge the Alberta PC and Wildrose Parties. Karim Jivraj has given keynote addresses to various business forums including the Calgary Petroleum Club and the Knights of the Round Table as well as faith organizations. Jivraj remains an active member of the federal Conservative Party of Canada.
Karim Jivraj: Education
Universite Paris I Pantheon-Sorbonne
Institut d’etudes politiques de Paris
Cornell University Law School
