GUYSBOROUGH — Sean Fraser was lifting panels in his New Glasgow backyard when the Prime Minister of Canada called with the offer of a lifetime. “It was the kind of invitation,” he recounted with a faint chuckle, “where the answer was always going to be yes.”
And so, it was.
On May 13 – just 12 days after reclaiming his Central Nova seat in the April 28 federal election – Fraser was sworn in as Canada’s 52nd Minister of Justice and Attorney General, with added responsibilities for economic development in Atlantic Canada. In doing so, he joined the ranks of former prime ministers John A. Macdonald, Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien and Kim Campbell who previously held the post.
At 40, and one of only two Nova Scotians with senior seats in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s 38-member cabinet, Fraser said he’s less interested in the job’s history than its demands.
In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with The Journal last week, the new minister and Attorney General of Canada outlined the stakes of his new role and the scale of the challenges ahead. From shifting trade relationships and rising protectionism in the United States, to Ottawa’s plan to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers and reset economic development across Atlantic Canada, he spoke candidly about the pressures of governing in an age of global volatility – and staying rooted in the community he calls home.
“These are unquestionably important times that require serious and thoughtful policies,” he said. “Our relationship as we know it with the United States has ended. We are reorienting how we do business – globally and nationally.”
Noting that nearly eight decades of postwar economic stability between Canada and the U.S. has given way to a fractured and unpredictable landscape, what comes next, he said, is a deliberate shift: diversify global trade, reinforce domestic supply chains, and prepare Canadian businesses for disruption. “We’re going through the exercise of reorienting our business relationships or supply chains with other international partners to make sure that Canadian businesses can be selling to the entire world, not just the United States. And, at the same time, building a united Canadian economy that will remove the barriers to doing business across provincial boundaries.”
Referring to the Michelin plant in Granton, Pictou County, he said, “There are hundreds of families depending on paycheques from an employer that sells over 70 per cent of its tires to the U.S. If that market tightens, we need other doors open ... It can be more difficult to sell across provincial boundaries than it is across international boundaries, and we need to change that.”
Fraser confirmed the federal government plans to introduce legislation before Canada Day to eliminate all remaining federal interprovincial trade barriers – part of a broader strategy to stabilize markets and reduce Canada’s exposure to U.S. volatility. He said the legislation will be paired with targeted tax cuts and growth incentives, following commitments made at the Carney government’s first post-election Cabinet meeting.
He warned that provinces of all political stripes must dismantle their own barriers, with coordinated support from business, civil society and the research community. “This is about protecting livelihoods in places like New Glasgow and building a stronger Canadian economy. And, it has to be a national effort – not just a federal one.”
He added: “We’ve got the most highly educated workforce in the world. We have natural resources that would make competitor economies blush with envy. We have trading relationships. In fact, we are the only G7 economy that has free trading relationships with every other G7 economy.”
Fraser’s return to Cabinet follows his 2024 decision not to seek re-election – a choice he said was driven entirely by the toll public life can take on family. He and his wife, Sarah, are raising two young children in New Glasgow. “I’ve got a three-year-old and a nine-year-old, and these years are precious, and you don’t get them back.”
He said Carney gave him clear assurances that much of his new role could be fulfilled from Atlantic Canada or through virtual channels – a contrast to past portfolios in immigration and infrastructure, which required constant national travel.
“Though I will be busy, though there will still be some travel, the chance that I’m going to be missing those birthday celebrations, the holidays, the times that you can attend a soccer game or an event where your children are taking part at – I think those occasions will be fewer and further between. I’ve got the Prime Minister’s commitment that I’m going to be given the opportunity to be both a good MP, a good minister, and a present father as well.”
Fraser, a lawyer with a background in international dispute resolution, is now responsible for federal justice reform and serves as the government’s chief legal adviser. He also leads Atlantic Canada’s economic development file, with a focus on post-pandemic business recovery, investment attraction, and regional competitiveness.
“There are important issues that we are going to be moving on quickly that engage my new responsibilities, both as the Minister of Justice, but also as Attorney General, which requires me to be the legal counsel for the Government of Canada. A lot of it’s going to actually engage work on the border and, in particular, ensuring that we have the measures in place to protect against drug trafficking and illegal activity that will both protect Canadian interests and give the Americans comfort that we’re taking seriously some of their preoccupations.”
As for that day when the call came from Ottawa – mid-yard, mid-build, a bunkie for his wife’s home office in the making – he said, “The initial reaction I had when I hung up the phone was one of really coming to feel the weight of the responsibility that I’ve been handed.”
“I mean,” he chuckled again but, again, only faintly, “This is a serious job.”
