Opportunities to create national parks could be lost forever due to competition from competing land uses such as agriculture, forestry, urban development, mining and oil and gas development. Immediate action is required.

Read the Petition Letter
What is a National Park
Why Establish National Parks
National Park Facts

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Complete Canada's
National Park System

National Parks give us beauty, adventure, serenity, jobs, and clean air and water.

The Petition Letter You'll be Sending:

Dear Environment Minister Peter Kent,

I call on the Government of Canada to honour Canada's commitment to create a national park in each of this country's 39 natural regions.

National parks help protect Canadian wilderness areas against the juggernaut of industrial and commercial development. They preserve our nation's unique ecosystems and the plants and animals that live within them so that they are not lost forever.

The federal government plays a central role in helping to conserve Canada's wilderness legacy. Continue the progress made by previous Conservative governments and complete the network of protected areas across Canada.

Ensure that Parks Canada continues negotiations and concludes agreements to establish both national parks, and has the resources to protect the ecological integrity of existing national parks.

I was pleased by the government's commitment earlier this year to create significant new protected areas and to engage a broad range of stakeholders on the development of a National Conservation Plan. I applaud the recent steps toward marine ecosystem preservation with the creation of the first four National Marine Conservation Areas, notably Lake Superior and Gwaii Haanas.

Thank you for considering my views.

Sign this Petition Now!

What is a National Park?

Hiker at Sunset National parks are places of natural beauty that are protected and preserved for all Canadians and for the world.

Each national park represents a particular natural region of Canada. There is at least one located in each of the nation's 13 provinces and territories. They are administered by Parks Canada, which also manages 157 National Historic Sites.

Sunset Since 1971, the non-profit conservation group Nature Canada has played an important role in the protection of more than 125,000 square kilometres of lands and waters in Canada's national parks system. Today Nature Canada and its supporters are calling on the government to conserve marine and terrestrial biodiversity by establishing networks of federal protected areas, including national parks, on land and in our oceans and to ensure their long-term ecological integrity.

Why Establish National Parks

National parks perform essential, irreplaceable ecological services that everyone depends on to survive, such as producing clean air and water, and providing critical habitat for endangered species.

National parks play a role in regulating the climate, by protecting existing carbon stored in trees and plants, which helps to reduce the effects of global warming.

When a national park is established, some of our most important wild lands are permanently protected from industrial and commercial development. It helps to preserve biodiversity, maintain healthy ecosystems, and provide a place for globally significant wildlife populations to live and thrive.

Fawn Canada's national, provincial and territorial parks create jobs and support local businesses, many of which are in Aboriginal and other rural and remote communities. According to a 2006 report by the Canadian Parks Council, parks contributed the equivalent of 60,000 fulltime positions, and $2.5 billion to the Canadian economy.

Spending time in parks improves people's physical and mental health and well-being, contributing to lowering health care costs.

People visit parks to stay active by participating in healthful outdoor activities, such as hiking, canoeing, or cross-country skiing. They are places for families to get together and for children to safely explore and learn about the natural environment.

National Park Facts

Canada's national parks system began in 1885 with the protection of several tiny hot springs in a 23-square kilometer reserve in Banff, Alberta.
There are 42 national parks in Canada, representing 28 natural regions. Eleven natural regions remain unrepresented.
According to Natural Resources Canada, about 9% of Canada's land has been set aside for protection — a small fraction of our vast country.
In global terms, Canada places 13th out of 29 OECD nations in protecting national territory, below the OECD average of 12.6%. The United States, New Zealand, Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have protected a larger proportion of their national territory than Canada.
Canada’s national parks system covers 2.5 per cent of the country and protects some of our most spectacular and important landscapes.
At 44,807 km2, Wood Buffalo National Park is Canada's largest national park and one of the largest in the world.

Sign the Petition to Complete Canada's National Park System!