Regulations

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Parks Canada's legislation outlines its obligations and authorities concerning the protected places under its responsibility. The Agency uses a wide range of tools to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's natural and cultural heritage to connect Canadians to that heritage - from regulations and guidance to collaborative partnerships with individuals, environmental organizations, Indigenous groups, and other levels of government.

Parks Canada Agency is responsible for:

1. Acts
2. Regulations
3. Forward Regulatory Plan
4. Service Standards for High-Volume Regulatory Authorizations
5. Interpretation Policy
6. Administrative Burden Baseline          

Procedures

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Parks Canada is a separate legal entity that reports through the Minister of the Environment and is responsible for the effective delivery of programs related to national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national historic sites across Canada. Its mandate is 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 the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations."

To deliver on this mandate, the Agency oversees 44 National Parks and Park Reserves, four National Marine Conservation Areas, and 168 National Historic Sites of Canada. Its organizational structure operates under a decentralized model, including 44 field units and a national office.

From a Parks Canada perspective, the Agency has and continues to undergo, changes and transformations in how the Agency functions so that the Agency continues to deliver excellence in the services it offers Canadians. These corporate procedure transformations are intended to lead to improvements in the work environment as well as the adoption of innovative business processes and up-to-date technology.

In its summer peak season, Parks Canada employs approximately 2100 year-round employees, 1900 seasonal employees and approximately 1100 students dispersed across the country.

Parks Canada contributes at the international, national, and local levels to sustaining cultural and natural heritage through a continuing commitment to the following principles:

1. Ecological and Commemorative Integrity
2. Leadership and Stewardship
3. New Protected Heritage Areas
4. Education and Presentation
5. Human-Environment Relationship
6. Research and Science
7. Appropriate Visitor Activities
8. Public Involvement
9. Collaboration and Cooperation
10. Accountability
    

Ensuring commemorative integrity and protecting ecological integrity are always Parks Canada's paramount values in applying these principles as well as the more detailed activity policies.