ABSTRACT
Canada was one of the first countries to embrace the notion of setting land aside to both protect and make use of by the public for their enjoyment. The movement to establish national parks in Canada was part of a larger preservation/conservation ethic that permeated North American society in the mid-nineteenth century (see Chapter 3). From Banff, Canada’s first national park and still the most recognized and visited park in the country today (Parks Canada 2007c), a system of parks have emerged that embrace the diversity of eco-zones that constitute the Canadian landmass. This chapter charts the development of the Canadian system, examining the role that preservation, tourism and economic development played in how the system evolved. In particular, the chapter addresses the significance of the 1930 Act – Canada’s first specific national park act – and the challenging terms ‘unimpairment’, ‘enjoyment’, and ‘benefit’, which created for the development a system of national parks. The tension between ‘use’ and ‘protection’ is further traced through the development of national park policies of 1964, 1979 and 1994 and how the changing emphasis within policy witnessed the pendulum swing over time away from development and towards full protection. This evolution of policy would eventually culminate in the passing of the Canada National Parks Act of 2001 where priority was shifted beyond the notion of ‘ensuring ecological integrity’ to maintenance and restoration of ecological integrity through the protection of natural resources and natural processes. The emphasis of ‘protection’ over ‘use’, however, raises some challenging questions for many of Canada’s national parks and the authors use BanffNational Park as a case study to illustrate the complexity of this relationship and how it has shaped the development and use of the park over time. Banff, Canada’s most visited park, albeit atypical in its development, embraced the tourist from its inception in 1885 and emerged as the ‘jewel in the crown’ for the Canadian system. The chapter traces the development of BanffNational Park, how it balanced the dual mandate of ‘use’ and ‘protection’, and how with the recent emphasis of ensuring ecological integrity it promotes responsible tourism development. In particular, the authors examine the development of a heritage tourism strategy within the park and how this promotes sustainable tourism development, encouraging partnership arrangements with key stakeholders involved. The chapter offers discussion of the partnership arrangements in place with Aboriginal peoples that have facilitated the development of the system over time, the issues surrounding National Park Reserves and the implications for these when land claims are settled and if the land reverts to indigenous ownership. The chapter concludes by addressing the ‘other’ elements that Parks Canada is responsible for, namely Heritage Rivers, National Historic Sites and Canals, and raises questions over the sustainability of the wider Canadian national parks system.
