Environment Minister faces oilsands file

For Environment Minister Peter Kent, it only gets harder from here. The minister spent his first hours on the job in the new cabinet receiving an international award for Ottawa’s conservation efforts. Now, he has to take on the oilsands.

National parks are the shiny, bright side of Canada’s environmental policy, long recognized for preserving and protecting fragile lands and waters, and reintroducing endangered species. But Kent is also tasked with cutting Canada’s greenhouse-gas emissions by 17 per cent from 2005 levels by 2020 — with one hand tied behind his back.