Fraser Valentine

Fraser Valentine

Associate

Fraser Valentine is a senior federal public servant, educator, and writer who retired from the Government of Canada on June 1, 2026, after more than 25 years of service. 

Fraser specialized in social, economic, immigration, Indigenous, and Northern policy. At the Privy Council Office, he provided non-partisan support to Cabinet and the Prime Minister, and he served as Chief of Staff to two Deputy Ministers. At Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), he was Director General of Strategic Policy and Planning, leading immigration levels planning and Cabinet affairs, and Director General of Refugee Affairs. As Assistant Deputy Minister of Settlement and Integration (2019–2022), he oversaw a $1 billion annual program supporting immigrant and refugee integration. 

Internationally, Fraser led Canada’s migration policy work at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris and worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, where he negotiated international agreements including the Global Compact on Refugees. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led a strategic review of Canada’s pandemic response at the Public Health Agency of Canada. 

In his final posting, as Research Faculty at the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), Fraser worked on a range of research projects and taught several courses, including Machinery of Government, How to Brief (including for executives), and Navigating Federal Decision-Making. He also developed full-day workshops on project management and on governance and risk. Throughout his career, he was an active member of the Public Service Pride Network, and he served five years on the National Cabinet of the Government of Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign, where he led its Renewal Initiative. 

Today, Fraser is an Associate Faculty member of the Institute on Governance (IOG) and takes on select engagements offering strategic policy and governance advice, teaching and facilitation, and writing on public purpose and democratic governance. He lives in Ottawa with his dog, Roxie.