Join McInnes Cooper as we host our first webinar under MC Leadership Forum, a series of in-person and online sessions centered on subjects of global, national, and regional importance.
The Honourable Peter MacKay PC, QC, will moderate a panel discussion exploring how current geopolitical factors impact Canada’s Arctic security. This is a unique opportunity to hear from our guest speakers: The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq PC, General David Fraser, and Sean Kelly, MMM, CD as they discuss the issues and opportunities facing Canada.
Date: Thursday, Jun 23, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. ADT
Learn more about our moderator and panelists
The Honourable Peter MacKay PC, QC
The Honourable Peter MacKay served in the Parliament of Canada for over 18 years as a Member of Parliament, including Cabinet Minister in the Harper Government for 10 years, as well as Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Minister of National Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Mr. MacKay chaired the Government National Security Committee for almost 10 years and served on numerous other inter-parliamentary committees. Prior to politics he served as a Crown Attorney and is currently working as a Strategic Advisor with Deloitte Canada and is also with the Halifax law firm of McInnes Cooper. He works nationally and internationally in areas such as aerospace and defense, procurement, infrastructure, and justice reform. Peter serves as a Board Member for Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. and on numerous volunteer boards including Special Olympics, Wounded Warriors, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and the Canada United States Law Institute. Peter is a loving husband to Nazanin and father to their 3 children Kian 9, Valentia 6, and Caledon 3. He lives by the sea in Kings Head, Nova Scotia, with two dogs and two cats.
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq PC
The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq is a former Conservative Minister and Member of Parliament.
Ms. Aglukkaq began her political career as Councillor at the Cambridge Bay municipal government, moving to work in territorial politics before landing in the federal government. First elected to the Nunavut House of Commons, she was sworn in as Minister of Health in 2008, becoming the first Inuk sworn into the Federal Cabinet.
Ms. Aglukkaq was sworn in as Minister of the Arctic Council for Canada in 2012, the same year she served as Canada’s chair for the Arctic Council – a two-year rotating directorship of the polar region’s intergovernmental body. She was then named Minister of the Environment a role she performed from 2013 to 2015 under Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
An avid volunteer in her communities, Ms. Aglukkaq has served on the Arctic College Board of Governors, the Nunavut Impact Review Board, and the NWT Science Institute’s board. Ms. Aglukkaq is married to Robbie MacNeil and they share one son.
General David Fraser
Major-General David Fraser is a retired Canadian Armed Forces officer. He served in every rank of command from lieutenant to major-general in his 30-year military career, leading operations for Canadian and multi-national troops. His leadership has been decorated by the United States, NATO, the Netherlands, Poland, the Atlantic Council, and the Canadian Defense Academy.
Following his retirement from the Armed Forces, Mr. Fraser works in the private sector as a corporate executive, bestselling author, and financial mentor. He works with BMO to provide financial education and guidance for servicepeople and their families and is an untiring advocate for veterans in the workplace.
Mr. Fraser also sits on the boards of Open Text Corp., RouteOne, and the biotech firm Plan Form, and is a mentor at the Western University’s Ivey Business School.
Sean Kelly, MMM, CD
Sean Kelly is the VP of Business Development for underwater acoustics manufacturer GeoSpectrum Technologies and a former Navy Chief Petty Officer. He is a subject-matter expert on underwater operations and warfare, submarine intelligence, sonar systems, and torpedo defense.
Mr. Kelly enrolled in the Royal Canadian Navy as a sonar operator in 1991 and was trained in naval boarding and landing operations and operational intelligence. He became a submarine intelligence analyst eventually becoming the Navy’s subject matter expert on threat submarines. From 2007 until 2015 he worked as an antisubmarine warfare director for HMCS Fredericton and HMCS Montreal, where he deployed for two NATO operations and several USA and Canada joint anti-submarine warfare exercises.
Mr. Kelly also developed and worked with industry to build and communicate the sonar requirements for the Navy’s next 20 years of operations.