SEAN FRASER
Sean Fraser was born on June 1, 1984, in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (41 Years old)
Parents (both schoolteachers)
Education
B.Sc. (Kinesiology) - St. Francis Xavier University 2002–2006
Juris Doctor (JD) - Schulich School of Law (Dalhousie) 2006–2009
Master of Laws (LLM) - Leiden University (Netherlands) 2010–2011
(Specialized in Public International Law in The Hague.)
At Leiden University, he studied under a Judge of the International Court of Justice and a former Secretary-General of NATO
(“While Sean Fraser's professional biographies and government dossiers consistently highlight that he studied international law under both a Judge of the International Court of Justice and a former Secretary-General of NATO during his Master of Laws (LLM) program at Leiden University, they do not explicitly name the specific ICJ Judge in the public record.
However, documents do identify the former Secretary-General of NATO, who taught at Leiden University during that period, as Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. De Hoop Scheffer served as the NATO Secretary-General from 2004 to 2009 and later joined the faculty at Leiden University's Campus The Hague, where Fraser completed his specialized studies in Public International Law between 2010 and 2011.”)
Professional and Legal Career Timeline
Legal Researcher: Legal Information Soc. of N.S. - 2007 (Research while in Law School)
Associate / Articling: Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP - 2008–2010 (Entry-level legal training.)
Visiting Lawyer: Canadian Bar Association - 2011–2012 (Human rights, Johannesburg, SA)
Human Rights Lawyer: South African NGO - 2011–2012 (Promoted access to information laws)
Associate: Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP - 2012–2015 (Commercial litigation Calgary office)
Parliament & Politics
Member of Parliament: Central Nova (42nd Parl.) - Oct 19, 2015 - Oct 20, 2019
Committee Member: Status of Women - Jan 29, 2016 - Sep 19, 2018
Parliamentary Secretary: Environment & Climate Change - Aug 31, 2018 - Sep 11, 2019
Member of Parliament: Central Nova (43rd Parl.) - Oct 21, 2019 - Sep 19, 2021
Parliamentary Secretary: Finance & Middle Class - Dec 12, 2019 - Mar 18, 2021
Committee Member: Finance (WE Charity Inquiry) - Jan 27, 2020 - Aug 15, 2021
Parliamentary Secretary: Deputy PM & Finance - Mar 19, 2021 - Aug 15, 2021
Member of Parliament: Central Nova (44th Parl.) - Sep 20, 2021 - Apr 27, 2025
Cabinet Minister: Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship - Oct 26, 2021 - Jul 26, 2023
Cabinet Minister: Housing, Infrastructure & Communities - Jul 26, 2023 - Dec 20, 2024
Member of Parliament: Central Nova (45th Parl.) - Apr 28, 2025 - Incumbent
Cabinet Minister: Justice & Attorney General - May 13, 2025 - Incumbent
Sean Fraser’s brief exit from and subsequent return to federal politics.
December 15, 2024: Fraser announced he would leave the cabinet and not seek re-election, citing family reasons and the desire to be a present father.
March 2025: Following Mark Carney's election as Liberal Leader (March 9) and swearing-in as PM (March 14), Carney personally recruited Fraser back during a phone call, promising to make the job "family-friendly".
March 25, 2025: Fraser officially announced he would seek re-election, appearing alongside Carney in Musquodoboit Harbour, N.S.
April 28, 2025: Re-elected as MP for Central Nova with 52% of the vote.
May 13, 2025: Appointed Minister of Justice, Attorney General, and Minister responsible for ACOA.
Connections
Sean Fraser is a core member of the "Atlantic Power Block".
Mark Carney: His primary patron; personally recruited him to avoid the "sinking ship" narrative.
Savannah DeWolfe: His Chief of Staff and closest aide for nearly a decade; has co-managed his campaigns since 2015.
Dominic LeBlanc: Long-serving N.B. MP and "fixer" who previously held the Infrastructure portfolio that Fraser merged into Housing.
Lena Metlege Diab: Fellow Nova Scotian and successor as Minister of Immigration (as of May 2025).
Critics of Fraser’s experience for the Justice Portfolio
Critics have scrutinized Fraser’s suitability for the dual role of Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
His team provides several justifications:
Professional Pedigree: Spent three years (2012–2015) in high-stakes commercial litigation at Blake, Cassels & Graydon, specializing in international dispute resolution.
Specialized Education: LL.M. from Leiden University (2010–2011) in Public International Law.
Governance Maturity: Managed two major departments and served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance during the pandemic economic response.
Communicative Fluency: Selected as "Best Orator" in the 2021 Maclean's Parliamentarians of the Year Awards.
Marriage: Sean Fraser’s wife is worth a mention.
Sarah Burton is professionally prominent in her own right, though she maintains a lower political profile than her husband.
Legal Pedigree: She graduated from the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University in 2007 and was called to both the Nova Scotia and Alberta bars in 2009. She later obtained a Master of Laws (LLM) with distinction from the London School of Economics, specializing in Human Rights and Public Law.
Elite Law Firm Experience: Her career includes tenures at some of Canada’s most prestigious "Big Law" firms. She articled and practiced tax and corporate law at Stewart McKelvey in Halifax and worked as a litigator at Norton Rose Fulbright in Calgary until 2014.
Law Reform and Policy: Since January 2019, she has served as Legal Research Counsel for the Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia. In this role, she conducts non-partisan research on provincial legislation, such as the Intestate Succession Act, which interfaces with the same justice systems her husband now oversees federally.
Academic Pursuits: She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Common Law, where her research focuses on constitutional law and voting rights.
