OTTAWA – Former environment minister Peter Kent is setting the record straight on an issue that pecked away at him while he was in the portfolio.
Kent was pursued in Federal Court by environmental critics hoping to force him to reveal whether he was taking steps to protect the endangered sage grouse.
Now a backbench MP, Kent says that he did make a decision last spring on what to do about the sage grouse.
However, he won’t say what he recommended to cabinet, or what cabinet ultimately decided, citing confidentiality.
But Kent says it took some time for his department to develop a strategy after getting direction from cabinet.
Earlier this week, current minister Leona Aglukkaq issued an emergency protection order for the sage grouse, whose population has declined to less than 150 birds in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
