 In 2006 Parent was appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia where he served as Minister of Environment and Labour.While Minister, Parent oversaw the division of the Department of Environment and Labour into two portfolios in April 2008, consisting of a separate Department of Environment and a separate Department of Labour and Workforce Development.Parent served as Minister for those portfolios until January 2009, when he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, just days before he was to release Nova Scotia's climate change plan.