VERUSCHKA MUNGROO
Ottawa – Last week the re-elected Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau made a historical reshuffle of the federal cabinet of ministers. On Tuesday, October 26, Sean Fraser was sworn in as the new minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and as a Member of the Privy Council.
But who is Sean Fraser and what does the future of Canadian immigration look like for the next four years under his reign?
Born in the small town of Picou County, Nova Scotia, Fraser is well-known for lobbying for more immigration to Atlantic Canada in the House of Commons, citing that Nova Scotia has one of the highest proportions of seniors in Canada and many youngsters and skilled workers leave the province to pursue job opportunities in other more lucrative parts of the country.
His advocacy to propagate the region’s population through a robust immigration strategy saw the launch of the popular Atlantic Immigration Pilot program, which will soon be a permanent immigration route.
The former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, began his love for politics at a young age.
After graduating as a lawyer from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, he kickstarted his career as a commercial litigator for one of Canada’s top-ranked law firms, and studied international law under a Judge of the International Court of Justice and a Former Secretary-General of NATO as part of his Master’s Program in The Hague in the Netherlands. He also spent time working as a human rights lawyer for marginalized groups and individuals in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Commenting on his new role as the Minister of Immigration, Fraser said on his social media pages, “I am honoured by this appointment and look forward to the meaningful work ahead in helping new Canadians contribute to our post-pandemic economy and in making sure Canada can give a new lease on life to some of the world’s most vulnerable.”
Believed to bring about a fresh perspective to the Ministry, there is no doubt that Fraser has a huge task ahead of him, with significant challenges stemming from the global pandemic such as the backlog of permanent resident applications and citizenships and the recent change in immigration strategy.
According to Toronto Star, this past summer reported more than 561 000 permanent residency; 748 000 temporary residence applications, and 376 000 citizenship applications to process.
The father-of-two, has also served as the Vice-President for the local branch of the United Nations Association of Canada, acted as a Research Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and provided pro bono legal services to the Boys and Girls Club and underprivileged community members and was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Finance.
In January this year, Fraser was named “Best Orator” in McLeans’ Parliamentarians of the Year Awards, and was a finalist under the “Rising Star in Parliament” category for the second year in a row.
The future of immigration in the hands of Fraser will remain to be seen after Prime Minter Justin Trudeau will soon issue his mandate letter that will define the Minister’s priorities and expectations.
Stay tuned to Immigrants Life for updated and the latest news on immigration.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Veruschka Mungroo is an international journalist with over 15 years experience in the media industry. She is no stranger to contentious issues having written on human right issues, entertainment, crime and politics.