About Peter Kent

Peter Kent,
Member of Parliament for Thornhill
Minister of The Environment

Peter Kent was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008.

Following his election, Peter was sworn into Cabinet as Canada’s first ever Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas). In this role, he is responsible for spearheading the government’s ambitious effort to further democracy, security and prosperity in the hemisphere. No stranger to the region, Peter covered stories throughout Central and South America as a correspondent for NBC during the 1980s.

In January 2011, Peter was appointed Canada's Environment Minister, responsible for the Meteorological Service of Canada, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, enforcement of the Species at Risk Act, operation of the Chemical Management Plan, development of Canada's domestic Climate Change mitigation and adaptation politices, and the international negotiation of a more effective, post-Kyoto Protocol climate change regime that will include ALL major emitting nations (such as China, the US, India and Brazil) and effect real, absolute reductions in annual Green House Gas emissions megatonnage. 

Prior to his election to the House of Commons, Peter was a broadcast journalist having spent more than 40 years working as a writer, reporter, producer, anchor and senior executive in Canada, the United States and around the world.

He covered stories that shaped the 20th century, including momentous events such as the Yom Kippur War, the Vietnam and Cambodian conflicts and recovery, the Ethiopian famine, the overthrow of Idi Amin, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War.

Peter won a number of awards over the course of career for his insightful reporting, including the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Award.

He is also a member of the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame.

A passionate believer in community involvement, Peter actively supports a number of charitable organizations. He has served as a mentor with the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council and was on the Toronto cabinet of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

He remains involved with the Toronto Conservatory of Music, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

Peter is married to Cilla.

They have a daughter, Trilby and son-in-law, Daniel.