Parks Canada

Parks Canada (French: Parcs Canada) is the agency of the Government of Canada that takes care of the country's special places. This includes 37 National Parks, 11 national park reserves, 5 National Marine Conservation Areas, 171 National Historic Sites, one National Urban Park (Rouge), and one National Landmark (Pingo). Its job is to protect and show these important natural and cultural places so people can learn to appreciate and enjoy them.

The agency also looks after lands and waters that might become national parks or marine areas in the future. More than 450,000 km² (170,000 mi²) of land and water is protected for this purpose. Parks Canada works closely with Indigenous partners to manage most of these special places and heritage sites.

The minister of the environment, climate change and nature (Julie Dabrusin since 2025) is in charge of the agency, which is led by its chief executive officer (Ron Hallman since 2019). In the 2020–2021 fiscal year, the agency had a budget of CA$1.3 billion and employed 4,666 public servants.

History

Parks Canada began on May 19, 1911, as the Dominion Parks Branch under the Department of the Interior. It was the first national park service in the world. Over time, its name changed several times. It was called the Dominion Parks Branch, then the National Parks Branch, then Parks Canada, then Environment Canada – Parks Branch, and the Canadian Parks Service. In 1998, it became Parks Canada again. The work of Parks Canada is guided by laws such as the Canada National Parks Act and the Parks Canada Agency Act.

In 2017, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Parks Canada gave free passes to visitors for national parks and national historic sites for the whole year.

Activities

Park Wardens help keep national parks, historic sites, and marine areas safe. They patrol these places to protect nature and culture, making sure visitors are safe and following the rules. They are trained officers who can keep peace and protect resources.

Parks Canada also watches over the health of nature in these special places. They check how well plants, animals, and water are doing over time. This helps make sure these areas stay beautiful and healthy for everyone to enjoy. They share their findings every five years to show how well they are doing.

Organization

The Parks Canada Agency became its own service in 1998 and is now part of Environment and Climate Change Canada. Before 2003, it was under the Department of Canadian Heritage. Over the years, Parks Canada has changed which government department it belongs to, and its focus has shifted more toward conservation instead of development. Since the 1960s, Parks Canada has also worked to spread out its operations.

Legislation, regulations and boards

Parks Canada works under several important laws. These include the Parks Canada Agency Act, the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act, and the Historic Sites and Monuments Act. The Historic Sites and Monuments Act helps the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada give advice to the Environment Minister about special places like National Historic Sites, important events, and special people in Canada’s history.

Other laws help protect special areas such as rivers, marine areas, and parks. For example, the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act looks after National Marine Conservation Areas, and the Canada National Parks Act creates and manages National Parks. You can learn more about these parks in the List of National Parks of Canada. There are also laws that protect important canals, like the Rideau Canal and the Trent-Severn Waterway.