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Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2002 |
Speakers |
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A former educator and administrator, Mr Parent taught at Notre Dame High School in Welland and at Dennis Morris High School in St. Catharines. He was also Vice-Principal of Thorold High School. He later served as Chairman of the St. Catharines’ Separate School Board. Mr Parent was first elected to the House of Commons in 1974 representing the riding of St. Catharines. He was re-elected in 1979 and 1980 for the federal riding of Welland, and elected in 1988 and again in 1993 for the riding of Welland-St. Catharines-Thorold. In 1997, he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Niagara Centre. He has served as Parliamentary Secretary to a number of Ministers, including Veterans Affairs and Labour. He has also served as opposition critic in various areas including youth, labour, international development and industry. Mr Parent has been active as member of a number of associations and committees, and has represented Canada at the United Nations and at several Congresses of the International Labour Organization. He was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons on 17 January 1994 and re-elected to the position on 22 September 1997. As Speaker, Mr Parent continued and expanded the ‘Greening of the Hill’ programme begun by his predecessor, the Honourable John. Fraser. Mr Parent was appointed Ambassador for the Environment on 20 December 2000. |
Gilbert Parent was born in Mattawa,
Ontario, in 1935. He attended St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, where he received a
Bachelor of Sciences, Niagara University in New York, where he obtained a Master of Arts
and the State University of New York, where he earned a Master of Education. In 1995, St.
Joseph’s College and Niagara University each awarded Mr Parent an honorary Doctorate
of Laws. In 1996, he was similarly honoured by Brock University.