Parker was born and raised on his family's farm in Durham. A graduate of West Pictou District High School, Parker is a graduate of the Nova Scotia Teachers College and he also graduated from Acadia University with a BSc. Parker worked as a public school teacher as well as owning and operating a garden centre/nursery and was a realtor. Parker lives in Loch Broom and is married with two children.
In the 2003 provincial election Parker re-offered with the NDP in Pictou West and was elected with 44.05% of the vote, by a margin of 880 votes.[4] Parker was re-elected in the 2006 provincial election with 54.89%, increasing his margin to 1,589 votes.[5] While a member of the official opposition, Parker served as the critic for Natural Resources. He also served as Chair of the Standing Committee on Private and Local Bills and sat on the Legislature's Human Resources Committee.[6]
Parker was re-elected in the 2009 provincial election which saw the Nova Scotia NDP win a majority of seats. Parker was elected in the fall sitting of the legislature as Speaker of the House of Assembly. He resigned this post in January 2011 after being offered a cabinet position, having been appointed to the Executive Council of Nova Scotia where he served as Minister of Natural Resources as well as Minister of Energy.[7]
