Mark Parent

For the baseball player, see Mark Parent (baseball).

Mark Parent Ph.D M.Div.
MLA for Kings North
In office 1999–2009
Preceded by	George Archibald
Succeeded by	Jim Morton
Minister of Environment and Labour
In office June 26, 2006 – April 24, 2008
Preceded by	Kerry Morash
Succeeded by	David Morse
Minister of the Environment
In office April 24, 2008 – January 8, 2009
Preceded by	new department
Succeeded by	Sterling Belliveau
Minister of Labour and Workplace Development
In office April 24, 2008 – January 8, 2009
Preceded by	new department
Succeeded by	Marilyn More
Minister of Agriculture
In office January 8, 2009 – June 9, 2009
Preceded by	Brooke Taylor
Succeeded by	John MacDonell
Personal details
Born	August 25, 1954 Port Williams, Nova Scotia
Political party	Progressive Conservative
Spouse(s)	Cathy Margie Jenkins
Occupation	Pastor
Religion	United Baptist

Mark Parent (born August 25, 1954, Port Williams, Nova Scotia) is an author and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, Canada for the constituency of Kings North. He sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia from 1999 to 2009.

Biography

The son of missionaries Hazen Coles Parent and Hazel Mildred Anderson, Parent grew up in Bolivia, South America before returning to Canada for post secondary studies. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University, a Master of Divinity from Acadia Divinity College, and a Doctor of Philosophy from McGill University. Parent is married to his second wife Margie Jenkins and together they have five grown children. His first wife, Cathy, died in 1998.

Parent served in various churches in Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia before returning home in 1994 to serve as pastor of the Pereaux United Baptist Church. During the late 1990s he was an associate professor of Religious Studies at Mount Allison University.

Political life

"Politics is the art of doing the impossible, with the unwilling, for the ungrateful."

Mark Parent
The Daily News
October 2, 1999

In 1997, Parent was the Policy Chair for the Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. He ran in the 1999 provincial election, and was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly with 49.05% of the vote.^[1]

Parent became known for speaking frankly in the Legislature and to the media,^[2][3] and expressed dissatisfaction with how the Legislature conducted business.^[4]

Parent was re-elected in the 2003 election with 50.2%.^[5]

In the 2006 election, Parent was re-elected with 50.07%.^[6] He was appointed to Rodney MacDonald's cabinet as Minister of Environment and Labour.^[7][8] His department was split into two portfolios in April 2008, consisting of Department of Environment and a separate Department of Labour and Workforce Development.^[9] Parent served in those portfolios until January 2009, when he was appointed Minister of Agriculture,^[10] just days before he was to release Nova Scotia's climate change plan.^[11][12] During his time in cabinet, Parent was also responsible for Part II of the Gaming Control Act, the Workers' Compensation Act (except Part II) and the Apprenticeship and Trades Qualifications Act.

Parent was defeated in the 2009 election, when his percentage dropped to 36.08%.^[13][14][15]

Bibliography

• Parent, Mark (1998). Spiritscapes. Northstone. ISBN 354063293X. http://books.google.ca/books?id=W1tfx6Y46s0C&lpg=PA135&ots=8sCmD-1r5R&dq=%22Mark%20Parent%22%20marries&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=&f=false. 
• Parent, Mark (October 17, 2009). "Health care system must change or collapse". The Chronicle Herald. http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/must-read/health-care-system-must-change-or-collapse. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 

References

1. ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 1999 - Kings North". Elections Nova Scotia. 1999. http://electionsnovascotia.ns.ca/results/99Results/99KINGSN.pdf. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
2. ^ "Parent contemplates quitting". CBC. November 2, 2000. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/11/02/ns_parent001102.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
3. ^ "Teacher layoffs prompt debate in legislature". CBC. April 25, 2000. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/04/25/nsleglayoffTV000425.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
4. ^ "MLA's "just bums in chairs," says politician". CBC. December 1, 2000. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2000/12/01/ns_chairbums001130.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
5. ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 2003 - Kings North". Elections Nova Scotia. 2003. http://electionsnovascotia.ns.ca/results/03results/03dist35.pdf. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
6. ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 2003 - Kings North". Elections Nova Scotia. 2003. http://electionsnovascotia.ns.ca/results/06results/dist35.pdf. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
7. ^ "Premier Announces New Cabinet Lineup". NS Government News Release. June 26, 2006. http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20060626001. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
8. ^ "MacDonald's expanded cabinet has 3 rookies". CBC. June 26, 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2006/06/26/novascotia-cabinet.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
9. ^ "Government Introduces New Department of Labour and Workforce Development". NS Government News Release. April 24, 2008. http://www.gov.ns.ca/news/details.asp?id=20080424008. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
10. ^ "Cabinet shuffled". Canadian Press. January 8, 2009. http://www.trurodaily.com/index.cfm?sid=208242&sc=518. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
11. ^ "Morse's environmental shakeup". CBC. January 22, 2009. http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/enviro-shakeup/Content?oid=1070548. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
12. ^ "Provincial cabinet gets long-awaited shuffle". Metro. January 7, 2009. http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/local/article/163513. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
13. ^ "More than half of Tory cabinet defeated". CBC. June 9, 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nsvotes2009/story/2009/06/09/nsvotes-cabinet.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
14. ^ "Nova Scotia Votes - Kings North". CBC. June 9, 2009. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nsvotes2009/ridings/035/. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 
15. ^ "Returns of General Election for the House of Assembly 2009 - Kings North". Elections Nova Scotia. 2003. http://electionsnovascotia.ns.ca/results/09results/dist35.pdf. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 

• John Decoste (November 27, 2009). "Kings North Tories fete, roast Parent as thanks". The Advertiser. http://www.novanewsnow.com/article-404813-Kings-North-Tories-fete-roast-Parent-as-thanks.html. Retrieved December 7, 2009. 

External links

• Mark Parent's website

Persondata
Name	Parent, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	August 25, 1954
Place of birth	Port Williams, Nova Scotia
Date of death
Place of death