With Canada celebrating its 150th birthday in 2017, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, is inviting all Canadians to share their views on how Parks Canada should work to protect and present national parks, national historic sites and national maritime conservation areas for the next 50 years.
She made the announcement earlier in December that Parks Canada will be holding public consultations from January 9th to 27th in addition to a cadre of virtual online engagement activities and face-to-face events so as to ensure that all Canadians across the country have the opportunity to provide their input.
Under the Parks Canada Agency Act, the Minister is responsible for Parks Canada to allow Canadians to provide feedback on Parks Canada’s responsibilities every two years with the Minister being forced to respond to those recommendations within 180 days. In years past, consultations have addressed topics such as heritage conservation, visitor experience, and inspiring Canadian youth to connect with their shared natural and cultural heritage.
“”In January 2017, help mark Canada’s 150th anniversary by joining the discussion on the future of our national parks, national historic sites, and national marine conservation areas,” McKenna said in a press release. “I want to hear from everyone on how these places can be enjoyed by more Canadians and how we can continue to protect them for future generations. So come on out and let’s talk Parks, Canada!”
The federal government has only just released its annual the State of Canada’s Natural and Historic Places report to help inform discussions at the consultations.
One of the recommendations within the report is to find a way for Canadians to visit the national parks more often, as they found that more frequent visits allowed Canadians to better connect with their heritage and culture as Canadians on a consistent basis. One of the ways they will already be enabling this will be through waiving Park entrance fees for 2017, allowing Canadians full access to the Parks throughout the calendar year at no cost.
Those interested can participate by visiting www.letstalkparkscanada.ca.
To apply for your free 2017 Parks Canada Discovery Pass, visit www.commandesparcs-parksorders.ca.