Parks Canada Agency

Corporate Plan
2008/09 - 2012/13

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

Alan Latourelle
Chief Executive Officer
Parks Canada Agency

The Government of Canada, through Parks Canada, is leading the way in our communities in the protection of natural and cultural heritage places and the facilitation of memorable experiences and learning opportunities. The Agency’s work is also recognized nationally and internationally, as demonstrated recently by a series of prestigious awards highlighting excellence in the ranks of the Parks Canada Agency.

In November 2007, the Parks Canada Agency received the Tourism Industry Association of Canada’s (TIAC) Business of the Year Award, an award given to the business whose significant contribution to the tourism industry is reflected in the energy, commitment to service, and vision that is evident in its operations. The Canadian Tourism Commission also honoured the Agency when it unveiled the winners of the 2006 Awards of Excellence from Interpretation Canada, where Parks Canada interpreters made a clean sweep in the Personal Interpretation category, winning gold, silver and bronze. The Agency also accepted the 2007 World Travel Market Global Award in the North American region, which was awarded to Jasper National Park of Canada in December of last year.

The Parks Canada team is hard at work in all regions of the country creating favourable conditions in which Canadians and international visitors can fully enjoy Canada’s protected heritage places and create lasting personal memories. The Parks Canada team offers excellent services for which it earns a visitor satisfaction rate of almost 90%, year after year. The satisfaction of our visitors is a testament to the excellent work of the enterprising team of Parks Canada employees. Through the years, Parks Canada has established high quality service standards, remarkable education tools, programs and conservation expertise, and the Agency is set to maintain this tradition of service to Canadians.

The character of our national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas is unique. These are places where our heritage speaks to us with a grandeur, eloquence and authenticity that can’t help but move us. Every year, the Parks Canada family of special places receives more than 21 million visits. To the visitors, the parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas become classrooms where they learn about the natural and cultural heritage of Canada.

But not all Canadians are able to come and visit the sites; therefore we are developing various approaches to reach out to aging Canadians, urban communities, and new Canadians through, for example, discovery centres and new technologies. Social science information supports these new ways of providing services to Canadians, including all our interactions with audiences, clients, partners and stakeholders.

It is in this spirit that the team of committed employees at Parks Canada works hand in hand with government, Aboriginal, community and other partners to expand the network of national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas and implement strategies for sustainable tourism, principles for ensuring the commemorative and ecological integrity of sites, and awareness programs. I am proud to present this plan, which outlines how we intend to do so.

The work before Parks Canada and our partners is significant and of great importance to Canada and the world. As Canadians, we have an opportunity to protect representative areas of our great country. However, we need to act in the next decade, as this opportunity may be lost forever. We owe it to our great-grandchildren to demonstrate leadership and to protect the natural and cultural heritage of our country so that it is also available for them to discover and experience.

As we approach our 2011 centennial celebration of being the first organization in the world specifically charged with responsibilities to manage, protect and present national parks, Parks Canada continues to work towards enhancing the connections between Canadians, their land and their stories.

Alan Latourelle
Chief Executive Officer
Parks Canada

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