Parks Canada

Parks Canada Agency
Agence Parcs Canada
The Parks Canada Agency beaver logo, first used in 1933 and last updated in 2023[1]
Agency overview
FormedMay 19, 1911; 113 years ago (1911-05-19)
JurisdictionGovernment of Canada
HeadquartersGatineau, Quebec, Canada
Employees4,666 (March 2021)
Annual budget$1.3 billion (2020–21)
Minister responsible
Agency executive
  • Ron Hallman, Chief Executive Officer
Websiteparks.canada.ca

Parks Canada (French: Parcs Canada),[NB 1] is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, three National Marine Conservation Areas, 172 National Historic Sites, one National Urban Park (Rouge National Urban Park), and one National Landmark (Pingo Canadian Landmark). Parks Canada is mandated to "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".[2]

The agency also administers lands and waters set aside as potential national parklands, including 10 National Park Reserves and one National Marine Conservation Area Reserve. More than 450,000 km2 (170,000 sq mi) of lands and waters in national parks and national marine conservation areas has been set aside for such purposes.[3] Parks Canada cooperatively manages a large majority of their protected areas and heritage sites with Indigenous partners.[4][5] The Canadian Register of Historic Places is supported and managed by the agency, in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments and other federal bodies. The agency is also the working arm of the national Historic Sites and Monuments Board, which recommends National Historic Sites, Events, and Persons.

The minister of environment and climate change (Steven Guilbeault since 2021) is responsible for the agency, and it is managed by its chief executive officer (Ron Hallman since 2019). The agency's budget was $1.3 billion in the 2020–2021 fiscal year and it employed 4,666 public servants in March 2021.[6]

  1. ^ "Parks Canada gets new simplified beaver logo". Edmonton Sun. July 19, 2023.
  2. ^ Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada (January 4, 2018). "The Parks Canada Mandate and Charter". www.pc.gc.ca. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. ^ "Parks Canada celebrates 100 years of world-class conservation and further protects historic gr". wwf.ca. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  4. ^ Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada (July 26, 2019). "Indigenous Affairs Branch – Indigenous relations at Parks Canada". www.pc.gc.ca. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  5. ^ Dearden, P., & Bennett, N. (2016). The Role of Aboriginal Peoples in Protected Areas. In P. Dearden, R. Rollins, & M. Needham (Eds.), Parks and Protected Areas in Canada: Planning and Management (4th ed., pp. 357–390). Oxford University Press.
  6. ^ "GC InfoBase". www.tbs-sct.gc.ca. Retrieved December 31, 2021.


Cite error: There are <ref group=NB> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=NB}} template (see the help page).