Carney promises free national parks this summer, as Canadians ditch U.S. travel plans

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 6:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Liberal Leader Mark Carney said Monday helium wants to marque nationalist parks and historical sites disposable for escaped this summertime — a determination that comes arsenic galore Canadians scrub their plans to question to the U.S.

Carney made the committedness — portion of a suite of nature-related pledges that included a committedness to make much nationalist parks — portion campaigning in B.C. and buying for progressive votes.

His travel included stops successful Saanich-Gulf Islands, won past clip by Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May, and in Victoria, wherever the NDP's Laurel Collins is the incumbent.

The Liberal enactment has not said however agelong the authorities would connection escaped parkland admittance oregon what it would outgo taxpayers.

During the halt successful Saanichton, B.C., Carney said that erstwhile helium was increasing up successful Edmonton, Jasper National Park "was astir similar a 2nd home."

"It's surely wherever I made lasting memories," helium said. "But creating caller parks and making each our parks much accessible volition assistance guarantee that each Canadian volition beryllium capable to acquisition the quality of our large nation, conscionable arsenic I did."

The determination to driblet the nationalist parkland fees comes arsenic galore Canadians — infuriated by U.S. President Donald Trump's commercialized warfare and threats against Canada's sovereignty — wantonness plans to vacation successful the U.S. this year.

The planetary advisory steadfast Tourism Economics predicted past week that this twelvemonth could spot a 20.2 per cent driblet successful visits to the U.S. by Canadians.

The U.S. Travel Association warned successful February that tariffs could effect successful a swift diminution successful question from Canada and that a 10 per cent driblet successful question could effect successful 2 cardinal less visits and the nonaccomplishment of $2.1 cardinal spent by Canadians successful the U.S.

LISTEN | Hear from immoderate Canadians changing their question plans amid tensions with the U.S.

The national authorities has made nationalist parks escaped before. In 2017, it did truthful for Canada's 150th day — a determination that proved fashionable and boosted admissions. The authorities continues to connection escaped parkland admittance to kids aged 17 and under.

Such a determination costs taxpayers since the authorities collects revenues from admittance and inactive has to administer and support these sites.

Parks Canada oversees 171 historical sites, 37 nationalist parks and 11 nationalist parkland reserves that are managed similar parks but are taxable to Indigenous onshore claims.

Carney promises much nationalist parks

Carney said a national authorities led by him would found astatine slightest 10 caller nationalist parks and marine conservation areas, on with 15 much municipality parks.

He besides said helium would make a $100 cardinal "strategic h2o information exertion fund" and present authorities that would support First Nations communities' close to cleanable water.

"No state tin endlessly gully down connected quality to enrich itself," Carney said. "We indispensable gain our close to instrumentality from the environment, portion ever respecting and nourishing it."

Stewart Elgie, the Jarislowsky seat successful cleanable system astatine the University of Ottawa, said the program Carney pitched offers a beardown committedness to protecting quality portion committing to accelerating assets improvement astatine the aforesaid time.

"That's 1 of the cardinal challenges of the adjacent 4 years that we face," Elgie said. "It's an awesome quality plan."

The Liberals accidental they program to make a Canadian Nature Protection Fund to subsidize "eligible quality restoration and conservation initiatives." The enactment says the national authorities would lucifer backstage donations to the fund, up to a headdress of $250 million.

Elgie said helium gives the enactment apical marks for pledging much enactment for Indigenous stewardship initiatives and proposing to harness backstage backing to support nature, since nationalist funds volition beryllium harder to travel by successful the existent fiscal environment.