Saskatoon-raised Jonathan Wilkinson named federal environment minister, handed tricky carbon tax file

Saskatoon-raised Liberal MP Jonathan Wilkinson (BA'88), a former advisor to Premier Roy Romanow and leader of the Saskatchewan Young New Democrats, has been named federal environment minister, as reported by CBC News.

Wilkinson was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015, representing the riding of North Vancouver.

He previously held the position of minister of fisheries and oceans, and was parliamentary secretary to Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna.

Wilkinson received his B.A, from the University of Saskatchewan and was awarded the Prairie Rhodes Scholarship. He was a member of the civil service in Saskatchewan in the early 1990s before moving to a career in the private sector, including experience in the energy and environmental industries.

As the MP for North Vancouver, Wilkinson is familiar with the issues surrounding the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, as well as Bill C-48 and Bill C-69 — both contentious in Saskatchewan. Premier Scott Moe has referred to them as the "oil tanker ban" and "no more pipelines" bills.

Read more at https://www.cbc.ca/news.