William Fraser (Canadian bishop)

William Fraser (1778 or 1779 – October 4, 1851) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest and the first Bishop of Halifax, Nova Scotia from 1842 to July 20, 1845. He was Bishop of Arichat from September 22, 1844 (later the name changed to Diocese of Antigonish). The difference in the dates is due to the splitting of the diocese into two dioceses effective September 22, 1844, and Bishop Fraser remaining Bishop of Halifax until such time that Bishop William Walsh took formal possession of the diocese of Halifax.