God Holds Your Future – Honourable Justice Hugh L. Fraser
November 28, 2023
An excerpt from “Cultural Change in Sport” with the Honourable Justice Hugh L. Fraser, O.C.
Transcript: God Holds Your Future
Sports have played a very important role in my life and as I said earlier, my parents were basically indifferent when it came to my athletic endeavors. When I competed in the Olympics, it was the first time my father had ever seen me in any kind of athletic competition. It was the second time my mother had seen me run. I can still remember the first time that I found out that I had made a national team and would be going overseas to compete. I was still a teenager. I came running into the house yelling, “Mom, mom, guess what? I made the national team! I’m going to be going to Italy!”
The next words out of her mouth were, “Well before you leave, can you please close the door? You’re letting all the flies in!”
Sporting goods might not have been the expected gifts for me as a child, but there is a gift that my mother gave me which has lasted a lifetime. As a youngster, she encouraged me to put my life in God’s hands, to recognize that He had a plan for my life. And if I would allow Him to, He would fulfill it in ways I could never dream of.
Our world is full of turmoil and for many, they don’t see much hope. And it’s so easy to be overcome with despair, to be overwhelmed by the events that are taking place in the world today. But throughout my life, I’ve drawn so much strength from knowing that God is in control of my life. That when I’m tempted to become anxious, or to worry, I can pause and reflect on where He’s taken me, how He’s carried me through the valleys and to the mountaintops.
I’ve been told many times that I’m blessed. And it’s true. I’ve had so many incredible experiences in my life, athletically and professionally. But the important lesson I learned from my parents, and in particular from my mother, who outlived my father by almost 30 years, is that while those accomplishments are meaningful and worth pursuing, they don’t bring you the peace that comes from knowing that God holds your future.
In this season of hope, my mother left this earth confident in the hope that she has stored up in heaven: the certainty of eternal life with Christ for those who believe in Him. I wouldn’t trade any of my accomplishments for that peace that comes from putting my trust in God.
Honourable Justice Hugh L. Fraser, O.C.
Chair, Hockey Canada Board of Directors
Hon. Hugh Fraser, O.C. was elected as Chair of the Hockey Canada Board of Directors on December 17, 2022. He is a retired Judge, having spent three decades as a Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice in Ottawa and Toronto, Canada. During his time as a full-time judge, he served as Local Administrative Justice in Ottawa, as well as a three year term as Regional Senior Justice for the East Region of Ontario. Since his retirement from full-time judicial service, he has been employed as an arbitrator, mediator, and workplace investigator.
Justice Fraser received his B.A. (Hons.) from Queen’s University in 1974 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Ottawa Law School in 1977.
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Justice Fraser was employed as a lawyer in private practice. He also served on the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal for seven years and authored several leading decisions on discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Justice Fraser is an Olympian, “one of Canada’s most decorated sprinters,” having competed for Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the 200m sprint and anchored the 4x100m relay team.
He is recognized as an international expert in sports law. He has been on the Court of Arbitration for Sport for 28 years and served on the first ad hoc Court at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, in 1996. He has been a member of several other ADR panels in North America and Europe including, the PGA/LPGA Anti-Doping Panel, the World Athletics Disciplinary Tribunal, the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), the Swiss Arbitration Association and the International Centre for Dispute Resolution. Justice Fraser has resolved disputes throughout Canada and the U.S. as well as in Australia, Brazil, Grenada, Malaysia and Switzerland.
Justice Fraser currently serves as an independent Arbitrator with the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), the USOPC Athletes’ Advisory Council and the United States Anti-Doping Agency. He is also a Commissioner with Athletics Canada and is a panel member with the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), one of the largest ADR providers in the world.
Justice Fraser is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators. In 2020, he was named a co-recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s President’s Award, given for significant contribution to the legal profession in Canada.
On December 29, 2021, Justice Fraser was appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the highest civilian honours in the country.
Read more: Hugh Fraser: a trailblazer on the oval and in the courtroom
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