A landmark report on the state of Canada's national parks is being released today by Heritage Minister Sheila Copps. Following on a 1997 federal election commitment, an expert Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada's National Parks was appointed in November 1998 to study the system and make recommendations on how national parks can be better managed.
National parks are the foundation of any serious plan to protect nature.
We need to get on with the job of managing our parks better and making sure our parks do not become islands in seas of development. The panel intensively reviewed the environmental issues facing national parks and the barriers to implementing achievable solutions. Their report entitled, Unimpaired for Future Generations , recommends specific actions for the federal government to take to address issues like habitat fragmentation around parks, faulty decision-making, relationships with aboriginal peoples and others. We need to drive hard to fix the problems. Heritage Minister Sheila Copps took a bold step towards solutions with her response today.