HomeGatineau Park is the perfect place to learn about the natural world, and heritage interpretation is central to the Park’s vocation. Park managers work to reveal the natural and cultural treasures of Gatineau Park for the public. Some educational programs are run in collaboration with the Friends of Gatineau Park. They include:
- special events (e.g., Fall Rhapsody, an introduction to the Park in autumn)
- educational field trips and Park tours (contact the Visitor Centre for current programs)
- interpretation (through maps, brochures, interpretation panels at lookouts, etc.)
Mackenzie King Estate
Kingsmere, Quebec
Mackenzie King Estate is an important part of the Capital heritage, with strong associations to a leading political figure in Canada’s history, former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. King left these lands to the Canadian people when he died in 1950, and Parliament entrusted them to the NCC for safeguarding and to use in communicating Canada to Canadians.
There are four restored houses on the Estate:
- the two Kingswood cottages
- Moorside
- The Farm (now the official residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons)
The NCC uses this site to tell the story of King and Canada in the early 20th century.
National Meeting Place
Gatineau Park has two official residences within its boundaries — The Farm (residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons) and Harrington Lake (country home of the Prime Minister) — and a major government conference centre at Meech Lake. It was there that famous constitutional talks took place in 1987.
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