At the Eastern Shore Cooperator, we were sorry to learn that our Central Nova MP Sean Fraser had decided to leave Cabinet and would not be offering for office again. But we are in deep sympathy with the words Fraser shared about simply yearning to be with his wife and children.
Fraser has spent much more time than many of his Conservative predecessors on the Eastern Shore, taking the time to make the long drives down to participate in events in our communities. Your editor will never forget Fraser playing his bagpipe while leading several candle-light marches at the Musquodoboit Harbour Peace Park for an annual suicide awareness gathering. In his meetings with shore residents, he has shared honestly and with clarity the challenges of governing and legislating in the 10s and 20s of the 21st century.
One of Fraser’s greatest strengths was his ability to surmount one of the most frustrating features of Canadian government by getting all three levels of government to work together, regardless of party affiliation. Eastern Shore MLA (and PC) Kent Smith sent us the following appreciation of working with Sean:
“Sean has been an excellent representative for Central Nova and always made time for our shared Eastern Shore communities. Since his announcement yesterday, I’ve read several reports describing his intelligence, his integrity & his exemplary public speaking. I agree with all these flattering characteristics, but there’s one trait that is always used to describe him that I contest is at the foundation of his successes: Sean is a nice guy.
I’d like to publicly thank him for almost a decade of public service. Although we reside on different sides of the political fence, I respect him and the values he brought to work everyday. I wish him all the best.”
HRM Councillor David Hendsbee also appreciated working with Sean. In an email to the Cooperator, Hendsbee wrote:
“Since being elected in 2015, Sean has always been approachable and receptive to ideas and suggestions about how to deal with local issues and projects.
He was instrumental in getting Federal funding approved for the Eastern Shore Lifestyle Centre in Sheet Harbour.
His biggest contribution is getting the federal government to finally recognize rural HRM that should be eligible for the student loan forgiveness program for medical students.
And his playing of the bagpipes has been well received and appreciated at various community events.
I don’t think we have heard the last of Sean Fraser.”
Fraser’s retirement is a loss not only for his constituents on the Eastern Shore, but for the people of Canada as a whole. There is no question that his fellow members of Parliament also appreciated his leadership capabilities, choosing him for one award after another. In 2021, he won “Best Orator” in the annual Maclean’s Parliamentarians of the year Awards, a survey of members of Parliament that gives extra credit for votes from members of other parties.
In June, 2024, Fraser won Parliamentarian of the Year at the first annual iPolitics awards. And in December, Fraser, serving as Housing Minister, won the Hill Times All Politics Poll award for best cabinet minister.
Part of Fraser’s success since he was first elected in 2015 lies in the hands of the great staff whom he recruited and hired. We are grateful for everything that they did on his behalf to answer questions and solve problems.
We are happy to welcome Fraser back to Nova Scotia. We thank his wife and family for the sacrifices that they made during his time in office. We respect the wisdom of his choices, and look forward to watching as he moves forward.
