Minister McKenna affirms ecological integrity is the first priority in the management of Parks Canada Français
Minister publishes formal response to unprecedented input from Canadians on the future of Parks Canada
OTTAWA, May 7, 2018 /CNW/ - Canada's national parks and protected areas play a critical role in shaping our national identity, protecting wildlife and our natural heritage, fighting climate change, and supporting jobs and local economic development across the country. The Government of Canada is committed to preserving Canada's natural and cultural heritage for generations to come.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, presented her response to an unprecedented level of public input on the future of Parks Canada, provided through the Minister's Round Table, Let's Talk Parks, Canada!.
In response to feedback received from more than 13,000 Canadians, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, has put forward three priorities for Parks Canada:
- To Protect and Restore our national parks and historic sites – ensuring ecological integrity is the first priority in considering all aspects of the management of national parks – through focused investments, limiting development, and by working with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories.
- Enable people to further Discover and Connect with our national parks and heritage through innovative ideas that help share these special places with all Canadians.
- Sustain for generations to come the incredible value – both ecological and economic – that our national parks and historic sites provide for communities.
Minister McKenna's response provides direction for the future management of Parks Canada, and progress is already underway on a number of areas identified in the Let's Talk Parks, Canada!
Through Budget 2018, the Government is making a historic investment of more than $1.3 billion to protect Canada's nature, parks and wild spaces, which includes funding for Parks Canada to support Canada's biodiversity goals and help conserve natural ecosystems. In addition, the government is making progress on expanding the system of protected areas in support of Canada's international commitment to conserve 17 percent of our land and 10 percent of our oceans by 2020. The federal government, in collaboration with Inuit of Nunavut and the Government of Nunavut, is already working to create Canada's largest protected area in Tallurutiup Imanga/Lancaster Sound, and plans to establish a national park reserve in the South Okanagan in partnership with Sylix/Okangan Nation and the Government of British Columbia.
To advance reconciliation and contribute to the greater involvement of Indigenous peoples in the management of Parks Canada places, the Minister's response highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting Indigenous rights, history and cultures, and restoring connections to traditional lands and waters. The Government is investing $23.9 million through Budget 2018 to integrate Indigenous views, history and heritage into national parks, marine conservation areas and historic sites managed by Parks Canada. The Government is also supporting new and existing Indigenous Guardians programs at Parks Canada places and elsewhere, among other initiatives.
The commemorative integrity of our historic places is also essential. In an effort to strengthen heritage conservation, work is already underway to review legislative measures, financial tools and best practices. Minister McKenna also indicated that an emphasis should be placed on new interpretive programs, digital technologies and partnerships to help tell the stories of our diverse heritage, so future generations can better understand our rich and varied history.
Going forward, programs and initiatives will be developed to encourage a broader diversity of visitors to Parks Canada places, so that more Canadians – particularly youth and people with varying abilities – can experience the outdoors and learn about our heritage.
To further to this goal, starting in 2018 and beyond, the Government is offering free admission to Parks Canada places for youth 17 and under, and free admission for one year for new Canadians. This builds on the success of free admission for all Canadians in celebration of Canada 150. The Minister committed to investing in other initiatives that will make it easier for Canadians to discover nature and connect with history, such as expanding the Learn-to Camp program (up to 70,000 participants in 2017) and further developing the Parks Canada mobile app (with over 170,000 downloads to date).
In her response, Minister McKenna acknowledged the important role that the tourism industry and local businesses play in supporting economic activity and jobs in hundreds of communities located near Parks Canada places – demonstrating clearly how the environment and the economy go together.
The perspectives shared by Canadians during the Minister's Round Table – Let's Talk Parks, Canada! will help shape the future of Parks Canada places for decades to come. Parks Canada will review the action items in the Minister's response and develop plans to implement them, over the short, medium and long-term.
Quote
"The unprecedented public feedback we received shows just how much Canadians everywhere care about our shared natural and cultural heritage. I am proud to share the practical steps we are taking in response to that feedback – such as making ecological integrity the first priority in decisions made about the future of our national parks, and ensuring more Canadians have access to nature and historic sites. I look forward to working with our partners in communities across the country, and with Indigenous peoples in particular, to protect, share and sustain Canada's essential natural and cultural legacy for generations to come."
The Honourable Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
Quick Facts
- For the first time, the Minister's Round Table welcomed the views of all Canadians, along with key stakeholders. Over 8,000 Canadians shared their perspectives at public events, face-to-face workshops, in written submissions and online. 5,000 more contributed on social media.
- Parks Canada's mandate: On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations.
- Parks Canada manages one of the finest and most extensive systems of protected natural and cultural heritage areas in the world. This includes 46 national parks, 171 national historic sites, 4 marine conservation areas and one national urban park.
- More than 27 million of Canadians and international visitors celebrated the 150th anniversary of Confederation with free admission to Parks Canada places in 2017.
- Parks Canada currently works with more than 300 Indigenous communities to conserve Canada's natural and cultural heritage and share the stories of these special places.
- Parks Canada places help generate some $3.3 billion annually in gross domestic product and support roughly 40,000 full-time equivalent jobs across the country.
Related Document
The final report summarizes the input Parks Canada received, outlines the Minister's response and describes the themes that emerged from the consultation. Visit LetsTalkParksCanada.ca to access the report.
Related Links
Backgrounder
The Parks Canada Agency
As the world's first national park service, for over a century Parks Canada has been dedicated to preserving Canada's impressive natural and cultural heritage and connecting Canadians with their country's natural wonders and historic places.
Parks Canada's mandate has not changed in more than 100 years:
On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.
Beginning in 1885 with the first national park in Banff, Alberta, the Parks Canada network of protected places now spans 46 national parks, one national urban park, 171 national historic sites (managed by Parks Canada) and four national marine conservation areas.
The Minister's Round Table
Under the Parks Canada Agency Act, the Minister responsible for Parks Canada is required to hold a roundtable every two years to seek input from Canadians on matters for which Parks Canada is responsible. The last round table was held in June 2014.
The Minister of Environment and Minister responsible for parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, held the broadest and most comprehensive consultation ever undertaken on the work of Parks Canada. Called Let's Talk Parks, Canada!, the consultation ran from January 9 to 27, 2017 and invited all Canadians, along with key stakeholders, to share their views on the work of Parks Canada and the future of Canada's national heritage places. The response was unprecedented―over 8,000 Canadians participated in the consultation online, at public events, at face-to-face workshops and in written submissions. Some 5,000 more Canadians contributed their perspectives over social media.
Contributions were received online at www.letstalkparkscanada.ca through e-workbooks and an interactive comments page. Six stakeholder engagement sessions were held in Halifax, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver and Iqaluit, and four public engagement outreach events were held in large public venues in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax.
The Discussion
Canada's 150th anniversary offered the government an opportunity to hear views from all Canadians on the environmental and social changes that could affect the conservation and enjoyment of national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas and to explore ways that government, stakeholders, Indigenous peoples and all Canadians can work together to respond to these changes.
From this historic engagement, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, has put forward three priorities for Parks Canada:
- To Protect and Restore our national parks and historic sites – ensuring ecological integrity is the first priority in considering all aspects of the management of national parks – through focused investments, limiting development, and by working with Indigenous peoples, provinces and territories.
- Enable people to further Discover and Connect with our national parks and heritage through innovative ideas that help share these special places with all Canadians.
- Sustain for generations to come the incredible value – both ecological and economic – that our national parks and historic sites provide for communities. Parks Canada places play a critical role in fighting climate change and protecting species-at-risk, and they help to shape our Canadian identity, and provide jobs and economic opportunities for local communities.
Indigenous Peoples
No relationship is more important to Canada than the relationship with Indigenous peoples. Parks Canada has established important relationships with First Nations, Inuit and Métis for the management, conservation, and use and enjoyment of national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas. Parks Canada has worked for decades to advance cooperative management of protected places with Indigenous peoples. Cooperative management helps to enrich and strengthen the planning, management and operation of protected places and advances reconciliation through dialogue and collaboration on the conservation and experiences at places used traditionally by Indigenous peoples since time immemorial.
More Information
To find out more about Parks Canada and the Minister's Round Table, Let's Talk Parks, Canada! or to read the Minister's response to the consultation, please visit www.letstalkparkscanada.ca.
SOURCE Parks Canada
Caroline Thériault, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 819-938-3813, [email protected]; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [email protected]
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