Response of the Minister of the Environment to Recommendations Made at the Third Minister’s Round Table on Parks Canada (2005)

Executive Summary

From February 20 to 23, 2005, over 70 people attended the Minister’s Round Table on Parks Canada, held at the Chateau Laurier National Historic Site of Canada in Ottawa. Drawn from across Canada and broadly representative of the environmental, Aboriginal, heritage, academic, tourism and other communities, these individuals engaged on several themes in order to provide advice to the Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Stéphane Dion.

A Minister’s Round Table is held every two years, as directed under Section 6 of the Parks Canada Agency Act, in order to convene a meeting of persons able to advise the Minister on the performance of Parks Canada. The Minister is required to respond publicly to any recommendations within 180 days of the meeting.

This summary provides an overview of discussions that led to the 15 recommendations that follow on the two main themes of the 2005 Minister’s Round Table – Towards a Culture of Conservation and Facilitating More Memorable Visitor Experiences.

A Culture of Conservation

In discussion on building a culture of conservation, participants urged Parks Canada to move forward on initiatives to educate and engage Canadians, exhibit extra leadership in selected areas and continue to build meaningful partnerships with indigenous peoples. There was broad consensus among participants that a conservation culture will only emerge through engaging Canadians and pursuing education initiatives that successfully speak to audiences, particularly youth.

An important theme throughout the three-day meeting was that of furthering the engagement of Canada’s Aboriginal people as partners to tell their stories and teachings about Canada’s special places. Woven through many recommendations are calls for Parks Canada to work closely with indigenous people in the promotion of the relevance of parks through a holistic approach and to highlight traditional knowledge and language. François Paulette, a member of the Smith’s Landing First Nation, spoke to the participants on the importance of language to his people “[In]our language, our spirituality, our environment, our political structures – our way of life – language is at the centre and foundation of our people.” Parks Canada CEO Alan Latourelle recommitted the Agency to work closely with Canada’s Aboriginal community as it tells the story of the land, and the persons, places and events that have contributed to Canada’s rich cultural fabric.

Discussions at the meeting suggested that Parks Canada is on the right track with its effort to preserve and restore ecological integrity, and to ensure that future generations can also benefit from the beauty and richness of our national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas – goals that are consistent with traditional Aboriginal approaches to the land and the importance of protecting it for the future.

Discussion as well as recommendations revolved around the importance of engaging Canadians as the most effective means of protecting Canada’s special places and building a culture of conservation. Whether it is youth – the next generation of stewards – or new Canadians living in urban settings, participants urged Parks Canada at every opportunity to pursue all efforts to reach these and other key audiences.

And finally, another current of discussion and recommendations directed attention at building research capacity and mechanisms to capture research with partners. Whether it is in conducting market research, understanding visitor needs and expectations, science or traditional ecological knowledge, participants urged Parks Canada to strengthen its capacity and understanding in order to be successful in carrying out its mandate.

Facilitating More Memorable Visitor Experiences

Participants to the 2005 Minister’s Round Table discussed how Parks Canada can facilitate more experiences that will be memorable for visitors in national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas. In order for Parks Canada to truly fulfill its mandate to protect and present Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment, it needs to be relevant to Canadians. How better for Parks Canada to be relevant than to connect with visitors by facilitating memorable visitor experiences – ones that educate and inspire, as well as experiences that are emotive and spiritual.

Recognition was given to the issues presented by changing demographics, including the urbanization of Canada as well as the diversity of these urban audiences. Reaching these audiences was deemed critical for Parks Canada to remain relevant in the future and continue to have the support of Canadians to protect and present Canada’s natural and cultural heritage places.

Discussions led to a number of recommendations on how Parks Canada carries out operations in support of visitor experiences: issues concerning the Agency organizational structure, how funding is directed, and how links can be made to other Parks Canada facilities on a thematic or geographic basis. Participants were very supportive of the direction toward having people actively take part and share in the visitor experience. Discussion also confirmed that interaction with Parks Canada staff contributes greatly toward having a memorable visitor experience.

Recognition was also made that connecting to the spirituality of the land, people and places leads to a greater depth of understanding and profoundness. By meeting and exceeding the expectations of visitors – and by taking an ordinary experience and making it extraordinary – participants believe Parks Canada will make the necessary connection between visitors and the natural and cultural treasures Canada has to offer.