Carney promises free national parks this summer, as Canadians ditch U.S. travel plans
Liberal leader moves to drop fees as more Canadians plan to vacation at home rather than visit the U.S.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney said Monday he wants to make national parks and historic sites available for free this summer — a move that comes as many Canadians scrub their plans to travel to the U.S.
Carney made the promise — part of a suite of nature-related pledges that included a promise to create more national parks — while campaigning in B.C. and shopping for progressive votes.
His trip included stops in Saanich-Gulf Islands, won last time by Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May, and in Victoria, where the NDP's Laurel Collins is the incumbent.
The Liberal party has not said how long the government would offer free park admission or what it would cost taxpayers.
During the stop in Saanichton, B.C., Carney said that when he was growing up in Edmonton, Jasper National Park "was almost like a second home."
"It's certainly where I made lasting memories," he said. "But creating new parks and making all our parks more accessible will help ensure that every Canadian will be able to experience the beauty of our great nation, just as I did."
The move to drop the national park fees comes as many Canadians — infuriated by U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war and threats against Canada's sovereignty — abandon plans to holiday in the U.S. this year.
The global advisory firm Tourism Economics predicted last week that this year could see a 20.2 per cent drop in visits to the U.S. by Canadians.
The U.S. Travel Association warned in February that tariffs could result in a swift decline in travel from Canada and that a 10 per cent drop in travel could result in 2 million fewer visits and the loss of $2.1 billion spent by Canadians in the U.S.
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The federal government has made national parks free before. In 2017, it did so for Canada's 150th anniversary — a move that proved popular and boosted admissions. The government continues to offer free park admission to kids aged 17 and under.
Such a move costs taxpayers since the government collects revenues from admission and still has to administer and maintain these sites.
Parks Canada oversees 171 historic sites, 37 national parks and 11 national park reserves that are managed like parks but are subject to Indigenous land claims.
Carney promises more national parks
Carney said a federal government led by him would establish at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas, along with 15 more urban parks.
He also said he would create a $100 million "strategic water security technology fund" and introduce legislation that would protect First Nations communities' right to clean water.
"No country can endlessly draw down on nature to enrich itself," Carney said. "We must earn our right to take from the environment, while always respecting and nourishing it."
Stewart Elgie, the Jarislowsky chair in clean economy at the University of Ottawa, said the plan Carney pitched offers a strong commitment to protecting nature while committing to accelerating resource development at the same time.
"That's one of the fundamental challenges of the next four years that we face," Elgie said. "It's an impressive nature plan."
The Liberals say they plan to create a Canadian Nature Protection Fund to subsidize "eligible nature restoration and conservation initiatives." The party says the federal government would match private donations to the fund, up to a cap of $250 million.
Elgie said he gives the party top marks for pledging more support for Indigenous stewardship initiatives and proposing to harness private funding to protect nature, since public funds will be harder to come by in the current fiscal environment.