2023 to 2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
Table of contents
Executive summary
Within its 2023 to 2027 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS), Parks Canada lays out its vision, commitments, and actions to advance the goals, targets, and implementation strategies of the 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS). The following is an overview of how to navigate and understand this document:
- Section 1: Introduction to the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy
- Describes the elements that guide the creation of this DSDS, including the 2022 to 2026 FSDS, with its stronger links to the United Nations Sustainable Development Strategy and greater emphasis on the social and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
- Section 2: Parks Canada’s sustainable development vision
- Presents an overview of Parks Canada and how its work contributes to the FSDS goals, including which goals it contributes to. This section provides contextual information about Parks Canada’s operating environment and highlights of Parks Canada’s actions in its DSDS.
- Section 3: Listening to Canadians
- Provides information on the 2022 to 2026 FSDS consultation process and feedback received that is related to Parks Canada’s activities. Information on how this feedback has been incorporated into this DSDS has also been included.
- Section 4: Parks Canada’s commitments
- Forms the majority of this document. It provides details on the nine FSDS goals Parks Canada contributes to as well as concrete actions toward relevant commitments. Each action is accompanied by one or more performance indicators to measure progress against commitments and includes a description of how it contributes to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals, as well as the Global Indicator Framework and Canadian Indicator Framework, if applicable.
- Section 5: Integrating sustainable development
- Provides information on how the FSDS and sustainable development principles are incorporated in its Strategic Environmental Assessment process.
Over the period of this 2023 to 2027 DSDS, Parks Canada will measure its progress against its commitments and will table progress reports in Parliament in November 2024 and 2025, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. Once tabled, Parks Canada will also post these progress reports on its website.
Section 1:
Introduction to the Departmental
Sustainable Development Strategy
The 2022 to 2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) presents the Government of Canada’s sustainable development goals and targets, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. This is the first FSDS to be framed using the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and provides a balanced view of the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development.
In keeping with the purpose of the Act, to make decision-making related to sustainable development more transparent and accountable to Parliament, Parks Canada supports the goals laid out in the FSDS through the activities described in this Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy (DSDS).
The Federal Sustainable Development Act also sets out 7 principles that must be considered in the development of the FSDS as well as DSDSs. These basic principles have been considered and incorporated in Parks Canada’s DSDS.
In order to promote coordinated action on sustainable development across the Government of Canada, this departmental strategy integrates efforts to advance Canada’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda National Strategy, supported by the Global Indicator Framework (GIF) and Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets and indicators. The strategy also now captures SDG initiatives that fall outside the scope of the FSDS to inform the development of Canada’s Annual Report on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Section 2:
Parks Canada’s sustainable development vision
Parks Canada administers one of the finest and most extensive systems of natural and cultural heritage places in the world and protects a vast network of cultural and natural heritage places. This network includes 171 national historic sites, including nine heritage canals, 47 national parks, five national marine conservation areas, and one national urban park, covering approximately 450,000 square kilometres of land across Canada. Parks Canada is responsible for protecting nationally significant examples of natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places with Canadians and visitors from around the world.
Parks Canada’s work and mandate are inextricably linked to the Government of Canada’s sustainable development priorities and the United Nations sustainable development goals. Through the delivery of its mandate, Parks Canada is a lead contributor to commitments under FSDS Goals 10 (Reduced Inequality), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 14 (Life Under Water), and 15 (Life on Land). It also plays a role in meeting the Government of Canada’s commitments in FSDS Goals 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Parks Canada also supports the Government of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy commitments that align with FSDS Goals 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action).
In carrying out its mandate, Parks Canada is committed to supporting the Government of Canada’s commitments for environmental, social, and economic sustainability, in the pursuit of a high quality of life for all Canadians. By establishing, protecting, and presenting national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas in communities from coast to coast to coast, Parks Canada directly and tangibly works to preserve Canadian biodiversity, engage Indigenous peoples in the stewardship of their traditional lands, waters, and ice, and provide opportunities for Canadians to improve their mental and physical health through experiencing their natural and cultural heritage places.
Protected heritage areas, such as national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas, support the prosperity of Canadians and sustainability in Canada in tangible ways, contributing to FSDS Goals 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequality), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Visitors to national heritage places support surrounding communities and local businesses generating tourism dollars that make a significant contribution to the Canadian economy. Through its operations, Parks Canada makes additional contributions to local economies and provides opportunities for meaningful employment and procurement, particularly in places where the national heritage places are a central feature of rural economies and services. A study of Parks Canada’s economic impact showed that for every dollar Parks Canada spent on its operations in 2018–19, visitors to national heritage places spent three dollars. This study also showed that Parks Canada’s operations, including generated tourism, made a total contribution of $5 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product, provided 46,000 direct and indirect full-time employment opportunities, and generated $581 million dollars in tax revenue.
As the largest federal land manager, Parks Canada is a recognized leader in conservation and is confronting the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss through protection of national parks, national marine conservation areas and actions directed towards the recovery of species at risk. By protecting and restoring healthy, resilient ecosystems and working with partners to recognize and maintain vital ecosystem corridors, the resulting networks of protected areas play important roles in helping mitigate, buffer, and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Parks Canada is a significant contributor to Canada’s commitment to protect 25% of its lands and oceans by 2025 and 30% by 2030. The growth and restoration of these places, in partnership with Indigenous peoples, and other partners, and communities, will not only support the Government of Canada’s commitments to conservation under FSDS Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Under Water), and 15 (Life on Land). but will also work to support commitments to Indigenous reconciliation and rural economic development.
No relationship is more important to Parks Canada than its relationship with Indigenous peoples. Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage in Canada and sharing the stories of these treasured places, contributing to FSDS Goal 10 (Reduced Inequality). Parks Canada administers over 90 percent of federal lands in Canada, nearly all of which are part of the ancestral, treaty, and homelands of Indigenous peoples. Many heritage places administered by Parks Canada have seen a transition over time, from a past where Indigenous peoples were separated from lands, waters, and ice to the current context, where Parks Canada strives to work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples, uplifting Indigenous voices and perspectives and to provide meaningful involvement in the management of national heritage places. Parks Canada is committed to ensuring Indigenous connections are honoured, and Indigenous rights are respected, in the spirit of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Parks Canada’s local presence from coast to coast to coast and its relationships with Indigenous partners uniquely position Parks Canada to support the Government of Canada’s objective to increase economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples, champion Indigenous stewardship, and provide meaningful direct and indirect employment opportunities.
To support the network of protected heritage areas it manages, Parks Canada also is responsible for managing one of the largest and most diverse infrastructure portfolios in the Government of Canada, ranging from heritage buildings and UNESCO world heritage sites, campgrounds, to visitor centres and services, to canals, watersheds, and dam management, to roads, highways, and townsites. In support of the Government of Canada’s commitment to greening government operations under FSDS Goals 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action), Parks Canada is working to make significant progress in transitioning to low-carbon, sustainable and climate resilient real property, fleets, services, and operations. With its significant and non-standard operational responsibilities and administration of national heritage places within geographically dispersed and often remote communities, reducing fleet emissions from 2005 levels represents a particular challenge for Parks Canada. It is thus a high priority to have targeted actions by segment outlined in this strategy, including through transitioning to zero-emission and hybrid light vehicle fleets and deploying electric car charging stations in the places it administers.
Planning for sustainable development must be ever adapting to meet the challenges and advancements of an evolving world head-on. In some areas of this DSDS, Parks Canada is still working to develop how it measures its contributions to sustainable development, in response to evolving Government of Canada priorities and international commitments. A notable area is in its implementation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA), supporting FSDS Goal 10 (Reduced Inequality). Parks Canada is contributing to the Government of Canada’s UNDA Action Plan 2023-2028, released in June 2023, and is working to meaningfully engage Indigenous peoples in the details of how progress will be measured to ensure that the related actions are based on the affirmation of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. Accordingly, the development of a measurement framework will be the action taken. As actions and measures are developed and finalized new indicators may be added to Parks Canada’s 2023 to 2027 DSDS via an annual amendment process.
The protected heritage places Parks Canada administers on behalf of Canadians do not exist in a vacuum and thus Parks Canada’s sustainable development vision cannot be achieved by Parks Canada alone. Climate change is impacting Parks Canada-administered places and their ecosystems, assets, and operational activities across its portfolio. As changes in Earth’s climate accelerate, so are climate impacts and associated risks. This poses complex and interconnected risks to Parks Canada’s people, programs, and places across the country and has been affecting or will affect all of Parks Canada’s areas of responsibility. Collaboration and cooperation with partners in the Government of Canada, Indigenous peoples and governments, provinces, territories, municipalities, industry and academic partners, and environmental non-governmental organisations, among others, are critical to the achievement of Canada’s sustainable development goals.
Section 3:
Listening to Canadians
Draft 2022-2026 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy consultations
As required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act, Parks Canada has taken into account comments on the draft 2022-2026 FSDS made during the public consultation held from March 11 to July 9, 2022.
During the public consultation, more than 700 comments were received from a broad range of stakeholders, including governments, Indigenous organizations, non-governmental organizations, academics, businesses, and individual Canadians in different age groups and of various backgrounds. The draft FSDS was also shared with the appropriate committee of each House of Parliament, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, and the Sustainable Development Advisory Council for their review and comment.
What we heard
In line with compelling international discourse, feedback received through the FSDS consultations underscored environmental sustainability as inseparable from social and economic sustainability and that measures addressing all three pillars are critical for achieving Canada’s sustainable development goals. The importance of including and amplifying Indigenous voices in sustainable development plans and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems into realizing the supporting actions was highlighted. This connects with several aspects of Parks Canada’s mandate, as well as its strategy and priority development.
In consultation submissions related to FSDS Goals 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), 14 (Life under Water), and 15 (Life on Land), commenters noted that the goal to protect 30% of Canada’s land and oceans by 2030 would not be possible without the collaboration and consent of Indigenous peoples and that Indigenous protected and conserved areas were a viable and important contribution to this endeavour. They also emphasized that conservation, species protection, and recovery of biodiversity are interrelated and that the Government of Canada should take Indigenous traditional knowledge and stewardship into account in its work to protect and restore healthy ecosystems.
For FSDS Goal 11, commenters asked that the target to increase the percentage of Canadians getting out in nature be more specific, measurable, and limited to federal natural spaces for which the Government of Canada can collect data. They also noted the strong connection between low-barrier access to natural spaces and positive mental and physical health outcomes and underlined the importance for the Government of Canada to include this concept in its sustainable development planning.
What we did
Parks Canada considered and for the most part incorporated the feedback outlined above into its actions and measurements included in this DSDS. In some areas, it has taken the feedback into account for the development of new measurement frameworks that it will include in a future DSDS. Parks Canada’s 2020 to 2023 DSDS focused mostly on its contributions to environmental sustainability through its establishment work and its implementation of the Greening Government Strategy. With the expanded emphasis upon the interdependencies of environmental sustainability with social and economic sustainability, the 2023 to 2027 DSDS paints a more comprehensive picture of Parks Canada’s span of work that contributes to and improves the quality of life of all Canadians.
Under FSDS Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), Parks Canada’s has included indicators that demonstrate its impacts on Canadian prosperity, particularly in small communities. Actions to support a diverse and inclusive workforce will be realized through implementing its Accessibility Action Plan 2022-2025 and the Pay Equity Act, supporting equal pay for equal work. This DSDS also contains actions related to Parks Canada’s work in spirit of implementing UNDA, including the development of additional progress indicators supporting FSDS Goal 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
For the measuring the numbers of Canadians that get out into nature, in support of FSDS Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), adjustments were made in the FSDS to report specifically on the number of visits to national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas. This indicator will be reported on in Parks Canada’s DSDS progress reports and as part of the interim FSDS report.
More information on the FSDS public consultation and its results can be found in the FSDS Consultation Report, Listening to Canadians.
Section 4:
Parks Canada’s commitments
Within this section, Parks Canada provides a description of how its departmental activities contribute to the following nine United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and the corresponding goals in the 2022 to 2026 FSDS:
Each of Parks Canada’s actions contributing to a Government of Canada commitment in the 2022 to 2026 FSDS is accompanied by a way of measuring its performance in contributing to the commitment. Each performance measure contains a performance indicator, starting point, and target; these have been created using the principle of SMART objectives, ensuring that they are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time Bound. These actions are also accompanied by a description of how they contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and any relevant Global Indicator Framework (GIF) or Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets or ambitions, if applicable.
Parks Canada will measure progress toward these targets over the period of its 2023 to 2027 DSDS (April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2027) and table progress reports with results in Parliament in November 2024 and 2025, as required by the Federal Sustainable Development Act. It will also publish these progress reports on its website.
Goal 4:
Promote knowledge and skills for sustainable development
FSDS context
Nurturing the next generation of environmental stewards and sharing knowledge with partners, including ensuring the exchange and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge, are critical to Parks Canada’s ability to deliver its mandate.
As the largest employer of students in the Government of Canada, Parks Canada is an active participant in the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program. This program facilitates the hiring of youth ages 15 to 30 who are facing barriers to employment, such as Indigenous youth, visible minorities, and youth with disabilities. These youth are hired to fill roles in national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas, offering meaningful employment in environmental sector-related roles, among many other disciplines. Through this program Parks Canada increases employment for youth, enabling them to gain work experience, develop skills, and expand their networks. Recognizing that the effort to promote knowledge and skills for sustainable development is an endeavour that requires collaboration for success, Parks Canada also provides funding to other parks and wilderness-related organizations to hire youth through the YESS program.
Target theme: Training and skills in sustainable development
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support youth skill development in environmental sectors | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Programs:Heritage Places Establishment |
Performance Indicator:Number of youth facing barriers to employment hired by Parks Canada through the YESS Program each year. Starting Point:Annual target. Target:565 annually. Performance Indicator:Number of youth facing barriers to employment hired by external organizations funded by Parks Canada through the YESS Program each year. Starting point:Annual target. Target:650 annually. | Parks Canada’s involvement in the YESS program helps youth overcome barriers to employment and develop a broad range of skills and knowledge to participate in the current and future labour market. This program provides support tailored to the needs of youth that are facing barriers to employments. Through its participation in this program, Parks Canada helps youth navigate through the labour market and to successfully transition into sustained employment, with skills and knowledge gained from working in an environmental and heritage sector organization, inspiring further education and career goals in this sector, and contributing to the growth of Canada’s pool of science talent. This action also contributes to commitments under goals 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. |
Goal 5:
Champion gender equality
FSDS context
Parks Canada is committed to championing equity in its workforce, including gender equality. As an employer of the Government of Canada and an environmental sector organization, Parks Canada is committed to implementing the Pay Equity Act to address systemic gender-based discrimination in compensation practices and pay systems and ensure that equal pay is provided for equal work, with the aim to have a Pay Equity Plan in place by September 2024. Parks Canada is also committed to representation of equity-deserving groups at all levels of the organization and has an active Women’s Network as part of its executive champions structure. This commitment helps to ensure that women and gender-diverse people are full and effective participants in Parks Canada’s work, as well as that there are equal opportunities for leadership within the organization.
Parks Canada is also continuously working to support all its employees and is working to address systemic barriers to equality within its workplaces and in its policy and programs, including for women and gender-diverse people. Parks Canada increasingly uses Gender-Based Analysis Plus concepts in its policy and programs by challenging assumptions, considering diverse recommendations during consultations and review steps, and identifying possible issues. For example, Parks Canada continues work to expand the availability of inclusive sanitary facilities in the places it administers, ensuring access to washrooms, showers, change rooms, or privies that can be used by someone of any gender, gender identity or expression, as well as to people living with disabilities.
Target theme: Take action on gender equality
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Invest in women’s skills, employment, and leadership |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for women in Canada. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 50.9% women and the LMA is 47.4%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women will meet or exceed the LMA of women. | Ensuring Parks Canada’s workforce meets or exceeds LMA representation of women contributes to promoting women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunity for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life. Relevant targets or ambitions:SDG Target — 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
| Reduce systemic barriers to gender equality | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Programs:Internal Services | Performance Indicator:Parks Canada will have a pay equity plan that will outline the process followed to identify any gender wage gaps, indicating if and where any gender wage gaps exist. Starting Point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:By September 2024, Parks Canada will have a pay equity plan. | The purpose of the Pay Equity Act is to achieve pay equity – equal pay for equal work – in a proactive way by addressing systemic gender-based discrimination that may exist in pay practices, removing barriers to full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at Parks Canada. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. |
Programs:Internal Services | Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for women in Canada. Starting Point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 50.9% women and the LMA is 47.4%. Targets:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women will meet or exceed the LMA of women. | This action contributes to promoting equity in Parks Canada’s workforce by ensuring that it meets or exceeds labour market availability for women, providing full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at Parks Canada. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. |
Goal 8:
Encourage inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Canada
FSDS context
Parks Canada contributes to sustainable economic growth in Canada. National historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas support the prosperity of Canadians and Canada’s sustainability in tangible ways. Parks Canada is committed to encouraging inclusive and sustainable economic growth through its presence in communities from coast to coast to coast.
As the largest tourism provider in Canada, Parks Canada makes a significant contribution to the local economies surrounding the national heritage places it operates. Visitors enjoying surrounding communities and supporting local business contributed $5 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product in 2018–19, according to a study of Parks Canada’s economic impact. For every dollar Parks Canada spent on its operations, visitors spent three dollars. This same study showed that through Parks Canada’s own operations and through the complementary businesses that provide services in and around national heritage places, $581 million dollars in tax revenue and 46,000 direct and indirect full-time employment opportunities arose. These meaningful employment opportunities, particularly in the rural communities where national heritage places are often located, form a critical backbone to many local economies.
Parks Canada is also a significant employer in both the environmental and heritage trades sectors. By providing opportunities for decent and well-paid work to those whose studies are in these fields, as well as training opportunities in support of more sustainable approaches, development of the next generation of leaders in sustainability is underway. Collaboration with partners in the academic sectors that complement the delivery of its mandate is invaluable to achieving these ends.
Parks Canada is also working to remove barriers to the recruitment and retention of members of equity-deserving groups, such as persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, members of visible minority communities, and women, including through the actions outlined in its 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Action Plan, the creation of an Employment Equity Action Plan, and the implementation of the Pay Equity Act.
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Encourage inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Canada” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increase labour market participation of Persons with Disabilities | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance Indicators:Percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are persons with disabilities compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for persons with disabilities in Canada. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 3.75% persons with a disability and the LMA is 8.4%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage Parks Canada’s workforce who are persons with disabilities will meet or exceed the LMA of persons with disabilities. | This action helps to remove barriers to recruitment and retention for persons with a disability at Parks Canada, increasing employment opportunities. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target - 8.5 By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value. |
| Support workers, businesses, and communities |
From 2023 to 2027 Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Number of training workshops and skills building projects toward sustainable stewardship of historic places have been offered to Parks Canada trades employees and students taking part in heritage crafts. Starting point:16 as of March 2023. Target:30 by March 2027. | Through these workshops, employees in skilled trades are given opportunities to advance their skills and incorporate more sustainable approaches in the stewardship of cultural heritage places, including adapting and mitigating environmental impacts. Sustainable stewardship contributes to achieving various environmental objectives including reducing waste and limiting greenhouse gas emissions. By extending the life cycle of existing buildings, their continued use is an inherently sustainable approach to reducing the amount of embedded energy required for new construction. A workforce skilled in sustainable maintenance and conservation of cultural heritage aligns with the government of Canada's commitment to sustainability across the economy, including through the creation of sustainable jobs so that all Canadians can enjoy the benefits of a clean economy. |
Goal 10:
Advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and take action in inequality
FSDS context
No relationship is more important to Parks Canada than its relationship with Indigenous peoples. Parks Canada administers over 90 percent of federal lands in Canada are a part of the ancestral, treaty, and homelands Indigenous peoples. Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places. Many heritage places administered by Parks Canada have seen a transition over time from a past where Indigenous peoples were separated from their ancestral lands, waters, and ice to our current context, where Parks Canada strives to work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples, uplifting Indigenous voices and perspectives and working to provide meaningful involvement in the stewardship of national heritage places.
Parks Canada has included five measures within the Government of Canada’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) Action Plan 2023-2028, which was released on June 21, 2023. These five measures, within the Shared Priorities chapter of the UNDA Action Plan, are aimed at recognizing and enabling Indigenous peoples’ rights and responsibilities in stewarding lands, water, and ice within their traditional territories, treaty lands and ancestral homelands. Specifically, the action plan addresses harvesting by Indigenous peoples, governance, cultural continuity, Indigenous knowledge, and apologies/acknowledgements. The UNDA Action Plan also commits to aligning Parks Canada’s governing legislation with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
To complement its work in implementing the UNDA Action Plan, Parks Canada is advancing an Indigenous Stewardship Framework. This proposed approach for managing and governing national heritage places is respectfully aligned with Indigenous ways of stewarding lands, water, and ice. The framework is a continuation of Parks Canada’s efforts to advance priorities shared by Indigenous partners and to continue evolving approaches to conservation, commemoration, and presentation. Parks Canada’s mandate and both its desire and obligation to work closely with Indigenous partners in the establishment, stewardship, and storytelling about national heritage places mean that Parks Canada’s contributions to this goal are wide-ranging in both scope and impact and are increasingly foundational to all the work it undertakes.
As a highly operational organization, Parks Canada’s workforce is its strength. Parks Canada is strongly committed to promoting diversity and inclusion it its workplaces, both within the Parks Canada team and in its work to make the national heritage places it administers more accessible, diverse, and inclusive of all Canadians.
Parks Canada is also seeking to increase equality within its own workforce. A significant area of focus is advancing an employment equity action plan to remove barriers to the recruitment and retention of equity-deserving groups, including persons with disabilities, members of visible minority groups, Indigenous peoples, and women.
Target theme: Advancing reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and the Métis communities
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Programs:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance indicator:Number of indicators developed by Parks Canada in collaboration with Indigenous partners to report on the progress of the UNDA Action Plan and the Indigenous Stewardship Framework. Starting point:New initiative started in June 2023. Target:5 by March 2027. |
As the largest manager of federal lands, Parks Canada’s work plays an important role in the Government of Canada’s implementation of UNDA. Parks Canada strives to work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples, uplifting Indigenous voices and perspectives and working to provide meaningful involvement in the stewardship of national heritage places. Through its five measures in the UNDA Action Plan, Parks Canada will undertake work to address harvesting by Indigenous peoples, governance, cultural continuity, Indigenous knowledge, and apologies/acknowledgements. Parks Canada will also work to align its governing legislation with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Parks Canada is taking a co-development approach to ensure UNDA Action Plan progress measurement is meaningful and reflective of Indigenous partners' priority interests. As a result, the first step in its process to implement UNDA is the co-development of indicators to measure its progress. The 2023 to 2027 DSDS will be amended to include these new indicators as they are developed. Additional initiatives supporting the UNDA Action Plan implementation can be found under “Implementation strategies supporting the goal” below. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
Target theme: Taking action on inequality
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advance gender equality in the Government of Canada |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for women in Canada. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 50.9% women and the LMA is 47.4%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women will meet or exceed the LMA of women. | Parks Canada contributes to the Government of Canada’s goal for the federal public service to meet or surpass the workforce availability for women. This work helps to ensure that women are an equal part of the Parks Canada team that creates and implements actions to protect and present Canada's natural and cultural resources. As part of this work, Parks Canada is identifying barriers to the recruitment and retention of women in its workforce. This indicator is also included under FSDS Goal 5, above. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIFTarget — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
| Foster diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the federal public service | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for women in Canada. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 50.9% women and the LMA is 47.4%. Target:By March 2027, the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are women will meet or exceed the LMA of women. Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada workforce who are persons with a disability compared to the labour market availability for persons with disabilities in Canada. Starting Point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 3.75% persons with a disability and the LMA is 8.4%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are persons with a disability will meet or exceed the LMA of persons with disabilities. Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada workforce who are members of visible minority groups compared to the labour market availability for visible minorities in Canada. Starting Point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 5.5% members of visible minority groups and the LMA is 11.75%. Target:By March 2027, the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are members of visible minority groups will meet or exceed the LMA of members of visible minority groups. Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada workforce who are Indigenous peoples compared to the labour market availability for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Starting Point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 7.3% Indigenous peoples and the LMA is 7.5%. Target:By March 2027, the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are Indigenous peoples will meet or exceed the LMA of Indigenous peoples. | Parks Canada contributes to the Government of Canada’s goal for the federal public service to meet or surpass the workforce availability for women, Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, and members of visible minority groups. This work helps to ensure that equity-deserving groups are part of the Parks Canada team that creates and implements actions to protect and present Canada's natural and cultural resources. As part of this work, Parks Canada is identifying barriers to the recruitment and retention of women, Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, and members of a visible minority group. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and take action on inequality” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-manage natural resources, collaborate, and share benefits with Indigenous peoples | From 2023 to 2027 Parks Canada will:
Programs:Heritage Places Establishment, Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of natural heritage places managed cooperatively with Indigenous peoples. Starting point:20 as of March 2019. Target:27 by March 2024. Performance Indicator:Number of cultural heritage places managed cooperatively with Indigenous peoples. Starting point:4 as of March 2019. Target:6 by March 2024. | Parks Canada has worked with Indigenous partners for many years together to negotiate agreements related to protected heritage place establishment and operations that create new–or enhance existing–cooperative management structures at Parks Canada-administered places. These management structures support co-stewardship of natural resources and collaboration on the management of natural heritage areas. In the establishment of new protected heritage areas in areas where there are no existing Indigenous treaties, impact and benefit agreements set out financial, cooperative management, and land use arrangements to address the potential impacts that the creation of a national park reserve may have for Indigenous peoples as well as the potential benefits, often including employment provisions. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of places administered by Parks Canada where Indigenous Peoples use lands and waters according to their traditional and modern practices. Starting point:31 as of March 2019. Target:Between 32 and 42 by March 2025. | In the spirit of UNDA, Parks Canada supports Indigenous peoples’ connections to traditional territories, to contribute to repairing connections that, in many instances, were severed when protected heritage places were created. Parks Canada and Indigenous partners continue to work towards finalizing agreements that will facilitate Indigenous peoples’ use and stewardship of land, waters, and ice at protected heritage places across Canada. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. | |
Program:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance Indicator:Committee decisions are adopted on the inscription of Tr’ondëk-Klondike and Anticosti as Canada’s 21st and 22nd World Heritage sites. Starting point:Preparatory work is ongoing as of March 2023. Target:Committee decisions are adopted by March 2024. Performance Indicator:Number of world heritage nominations where advice and guidance has been provided to Indigenous partners. Starting point:Preparatory work is ongoing as of March 2023. Target:At least 2 by December 2026. | Parks Canada works to support nominations for World Heritage. Canada’s heritage places reflect the rich and varied heritage of Canada. World Heritage nominations provide an opportunity for advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people through the identification and protection of natural and cultural heritage important to Indigenous peoples and the potential for economic and social benefits to Indigenous communities. Relevant Targets:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. | |
Program:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance Indicator:Number of projects supported through the Stories of Canada Program that prioritize opportunities for Indigenous peoples to share and communicate their history in their own voices at heritage places administered by Parks Canada across the country. Starting point:12 projects completed as of March 2023. Target:15 by March 2025. | In its work to support the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Parks Canada is working with Indigenous partners and communities to implement the Framework for History and Commemoration. This work aims to transform the historical narrative at the heritage places it administers. The work of Stories of Canada renews the approach to history presentation at Parks Canada-administered places. It seeks to tell broader and more inclusive stories that represent the diversity and complexity of Canadian history, focussing on how stories are told – and by whom – with an emphasis on sharing multiple perspectives. Through the application of key practices in public history, Stories of Canada helps heritage places expand their programs and messages through addressing controversial stories, sharing authority, confronting colonial legacies, and supporting Indigenous communities to share their stories, in their way, at heritage sites. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. | |
Program:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance Indicator:Percentage (%) of designations of national historic sites, persons and events that are related to Indigenous history. Starting point:10% by March 2023 Target:12% by March 2025 Note: the current reporting timeframe to 2025 reflects target in Horizontal Initiative reporting to TBS. Updates to target beyond 2025 are not yet determined. Performance Indicator:Number of engagement workshops held by Parks Canada with Indigenous organizations, communities or Survivor groups that explore commemorating Indian Residential Schools (IRS), their legacies, and Indigenous histories in Canada. Starting point:2 workshops as of March 2023. Target:5 by March 2025. Performance Indicator:Number of new nominations to the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada pertaining to residential schools or Indigenous histories that have been reviewed under the National Program of Historical Commemoration. Starting point:4 as of March 2023. Target:15 by March 2025. | Parks Canada’s commemoration programs contribute to the Government of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada. These programs play a key role in carrying out several of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)’s calls-to-action 79 and 80, calling to give Indigenous peoples a significantly stronger role in the commemoration and management of cultural heritage. Bill C-23: Historic Places of Canada Act responds to TRC calls-to-action 79 and 80. If passed as written, it would include the establishment of positions on the HSMBC for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis and establish mechanisms for Indigenous governments to commemorate and manage their own cultural heritage. To respond to TRC call-to-action 75, Parks Canada is also engaging with Indian Residential School Survivors, Indigenous communities, and scholars so that Indigenous voices and perspectives are reflected in nominations, designations, and commemorations of Indian Residential Schools, their legacies, and Indigenous histories in Canada. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. | |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of Indigenous nations and communities that are engaged annually to share two-way knowledge on collections. Starting point:Annual target Target:At least 10 nations and communities annually. Performance Indicator:Number of historic and archaeological object conservation actions completed at heritage places administered by Parks Canada that support Indigenous partners. Starting point:New initiative for 2023. Target:At least 3 by March 2027. | This action helps to advance the implementation of Indigenous values and protocols into the protection and conservation of cultural and natural resources under the care of Parks Canada, including in its archaeological and historical collections. Cultural resource management and heritage conservation work at heritage places contribute to safeguarding cultural resources and making gains in cultural heritage conservation. This is being done through collaboration and engagement with Indigenous communities and Indigenous partners. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. | |
| Increased Indigenous employment in the federal public service |
From 2023 to 2027 Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada workforce who are Indigenous compared to the labour market availability for Indigenous peoples in Canada. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 7.3% Indigenous peoples and the LMA is 7.5%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are Indigenous peoples will meet or exceed the LMA of Indigenous peoples. |
Parks Canada contributes to the Government of Canada’s goal for the federal public service to meet or surpass the workforce availability for women, Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, and members of a visible minority group. This work helps to ensure that equity-deserving groups are part of the Parks Canada team that creates and implements actions to protect and present Canada's natural and cultural resources. As part of this work, Parks Canada is identifying barriers to the recruitment and retention of women, Indigenous persons, persons with a disability, and members of a visible minority group. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
| Support economic development and entrepreneurship in Indigenous communities | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage of the total value of Parks Canada’s contracts that are awarded to Indigenous businesses per year. Starting point:Annual Target. Target:5% annually. Performance indicator:Percentage of functional specialists in procurement that have completed training on Indigenous considerations in procurement. Starting point:100% as of March 2023. Target:100% by March 2027. |
This commitment helps to leverage government spending to help grow Indigenous businesses and improve the socio-economic conditions of Indigenous communities and help to ensure that government contracting processes reach suppliers that are reflective of the composition of Canadian society. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
| Support accessibility and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities |
From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance Indicator:Percentage of Parks Canada workforce who are persons with a disability compared to the labour market availability (LMA) for persons with disabilities in Canada. Starting Point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada’s workforce is 3.75% persons with a disability and the LMA is 8.4%. Target:By March 2027 the percentage of Parks Canada’s workforce who are persons with a disability will meet or exceed the LMA of persons with disabilities. | Parks Canada contributes to the Government of Canada’s goal for the federal public service to meet or surpass the workforce availability persons with a disability. This work helps to ensure that persons with a disability are part of the Parks Canada team that creates and implements actions to protect and present Canada's natural and cultural resources. As part of this work, Parks Canada is identifying barriers to the recruitment and retention of persons with a disability. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 10.2 By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. GIF Target — 10.3 Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies, and action in this regard. |
Goal 11:
Improve access to affordable housing, clean air, transportation, parks and green spaces, as well as cultural heritage in Canada
FSDS context
Parks Canada is one of the lead organizations in delivering on the Government of Canada’s commitments to the SDG Global Indicator Framework ambition 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Parks Canada plays a leadership role in conserving and promoting heritage places to ensure that they continue to be a source of national pride and enjoyment for all Canadians. As part of this work, Parks Canada prioritizes inclusion and accessibility in the development and delivery of visitor services and experiences to ensure that protected heritage places, such as national historic sites, national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national urban parks, can be enjoyed by all.
Parks Canada is also one of the leads in the Government of Canada for the SDG Global Indicator Framework ambition 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. Parks Canada works to bring nature and history to Canadians in their communities and homes through innovative outreach and engagement programming, digital experiences, and promotional activities. Parks Canada also works with various local and regional partners to provide high-quality visitor services and experiences and introduce Canadians to the safe enjoyment of natural, cultural, and historic places through popular initiatives such as the Learn-to Camp program.
To support this goal, Parks Canada is collaborating with partners, including Indigenous peoples, to create national urban parks in Canada’s large urban centers. Each national urban park will be unique and together will form a network with a shared vision of conserving nature, connecting people with nature, and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. These national urban parks can also lead to other ecosystem services, socio-economic benefits, and cost-saving. For example, national urban parks will contribute to cleaner air and water, flood management, and help cool temperatures in hot urban centers, reducing associated costs. It has been shown that when people have increased opportunities for spending time in nature, they enjoy health benefits and demands upon healthcare are lessened.
Target theme: Green spaces, cultural and natural heritage
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop green spaces close to urban centres | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Establishment |
Performance indicator:Number of new national urban parks designated. Starting point:As of March 2023, Parks Canada has completed the pre-feasibility work for two potential national urban parks. Target:Up to 6 by March 2026. |
The benefits of urban green spaces such as national urban parks are significant. National urban parks will create spaces for Canadians to connect with nature, learn about natural and cultural heritage, and enjoy the benefits of spending time outside. They will help to reduce barriers to ensure that more people can have meaningful experiences in urban green space close to where they live, work, and play. A network of national urban parks will support Canada’s major cities in developing local solutions to biodiversity loss and in dealing with the impacts of climate change, aided by a knowledge-sharing from a network of similar places. They will help adapt to climate change and contribute to national and global biodiversity targets with innovative solutions that benefit residents, businesses, and local wildlife. National urban parks will also help mitigate threats to infrastructure from extreme weather events, support storm water management and soil quality, and help absorb and store carbon. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.4 Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. GBF Target — 3 Protect and conserve areas. GBF Target — 12 Urban blue and green spaces |
| Performance indicator:Parks Canada has developed a national urban parks policy. Starting point:Discussion paper entitled ‘Toward a National Urban Parks Policy’, launched in March 2023. Target:Completion by March 2025. |
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Enhance visitor experience in parks and historic places |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Visitor Experience | Performance indicator:Number of visitors per year to Parks Canada-administered places. Starting point:22.5 million in fiscal year 2022-23. Target:At least 23.7 million annually by the end of fiscal year 2026-27. |
This work seeks to remove barriers, foster participation, and embrace diversity and inclusion by designing and delivering visitor services and experiences so that all Canadians and visitors from around the world can enjoy and appreciate national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. |
Program:Visitor experience | Performance indicator:Annual camping nights at campgrounds in Parks Canada-administered places compared to baseline year. Starting point:750,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (baseline year). Target:Maintain camping nights per year at 2022-23 levels. Note: Campground availability may fluctuate due to external factors, such as when campgrounds are closed for safety reasons (fire, flood, wildlife, etc.) or capital work. This calculation only includes those places that use the Parks Canada Reservation System to manage and track campground occupancy. | Providing high-quality camping services and innovative camping options encourages Canadians to get out and experience nature in the places administered by Parks Canada as it works to make its campgrounds and related facilities and activities more inclusive and accessible to all. Parks Canada also supports this action through outreach education on camping, such as instructional videos on its website and through Learn to Camp programs at parks and sites. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
Program:Visitor experience | Performance indicator:An improved reservation system is implemented by Parks Canada. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:An updated reservation system will be launched by December 2025. | The Parks Canada Reservation System is an important part of the trip planning process for potential visitors and is a key service by Parks Canada to ensure visitors to Parks Canada places are provided with quality services from the start of their experience. A new system will help to improve the overall reservation process and reduce barriers to visiting national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas. By improving the reservation process for shuttles and adding more shuttle services to the system, traffic impacts on protected heritage areas will be reduced, accessibility for persons with disabilities will be improved, and visitation will be managed at sustainable levels. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
Program:Visitor experience | Performance indicator:Annual number of volunteers at Parks Canada-administered places. Starting point:8000 in fiscal year 2022–23. Target:Maintain or increase annual number of volunteers at 2022–23 levels at Parks Canada-administered places until March 2027. | Volunteer programs at Parks Canada-administered places offer Canadians the opportunity to participate in engaging and meaningful volunteer activities that support conservation objectives and local management priorities. Parks Canada offers volunteer activities in every part of the country, from coast to coast to coast. Members of the public assist Parks Canada staff with special initiatives, such as language ambassador programs to help with outreach to new Canadians, research and monitoring support, like Bioblitz and shoreline cleanups, and living history programs. By taking part in Parks Canada's volunteer activities, volunteers develop a connection to protected heritage places, enrich their lives, and make a difference, including improving visitor experience. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
Program:Visitor experience | Performance indicator:Number of indicators developed to measure accessibility and inclusion in Parks Canada’s visitor experience activities. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:At least one by March 2027. | To ensure that there is universal access to the places it administers, Parks Canada is developing a way to measure its progress in implementing accessible and inclusive visitor experience activities. This action is also part of Parks Canada’s 2022 to 2025 Accessibility Action Plan and in line with commitments made in response to the 2023 Minister’s Round Table (see Section 3: Listening to Canadians, above). Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Percentage of historical and archaeological collection, cultural landscapes and archaeological sites in Parks Canada's care that are safeguarded. Starting point:68% as of March 2023. Target:90% by March 2026. | Cultural resources are maintained through conservation work at national historic sites, national parks, national marine conservation areas and national urban parks administered by Parks Canada. This work contributes to enhancing visitor experience in parks and historic places by ensuring that cultural resources are safeguarded and conserved and that their heritage value is shared for the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Additional initiatives that contribute to this implementation strategy can be found under goal 10, Reducing Inequality, above, under the subheading “Implementation Strategies supporting the goal.” Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
| Promote access to green space, cultural and natural heritage | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Promotion and Public Support | Performance indicator:Number of subscribers to the Parks Canada e-newsletter per year. Starting point:2 million as of March 2023. Target:Maintain or increase the number of subscribers annually. | Promoting the natural and cultural heritage places administered by Parks Canada and the way it is working to improve their accessibility and inclusivity helps create awareness for accessing these places and support for Parks Canada’s mandate. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. |
Program:Heritage Places Promotion and Public Support | Performance indicator:Number of indicators developed and implemented that measure the availability of information on accessible visitor offers. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:3 by March 2026, including:
| By providing more complete information on accessibility measures at national historic sites, national parks, national marine conservation areas, and national urban parks, Parks Canada will be promoting access to the places it administers for persons requiring accommodations. This, in turn, promotes universal access to these protected heritage areas for all Canadians. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. | |
| Performance indicator:Number of kilometres of enhanced and maintained trails accessible to the public added to the Trans Canada Trail network. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:2800 kilometres by March 2027. Performance Indicator:Number of universally accessible trails created or improved as part of the Trans Canada Trail. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:5 by March 2027. Performance Indicator:Percentage of Canadians who live within 30 minutes of a section of the Trans Canada Trail. Starting point:
Target:March82% by March 2027. | The Trans Canada Trail is a network of multi-use pathways linking 15,000 communities and passing through every provincial and territorial capital across 28,000 kilometres of land and water routes through urban, rural and wilderness landscapes, from coast to coast to coast. As the longest multi-use trail in the world, it helps provide universal access to greenspaces for all Canadians. In addition to preserving greenspace and promoting conservation in the communities it passes through, it also contributes to local economies, stimulates tourism, and supports to the Government of Canada’s objectives to lower greenhouse gas emissions by providing safe spaces for active transportation. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. |
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Improve access to affordable housing, clean air, transportation, parks, and green spaces, as well as cultural heritage in Canada” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work with partners on conservation | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Number of heritage places per year where threats have been mitigated or reduced through cost-sharing agreements. Starting point:Annual target. Target:10 annually. |
Parks Canada’s National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places is a contribution program that helps ensure the protection of heritage places that have been formally recognized by the Government of Canada, but that it does not administer. The program supports the Parks Canada’s mandate of protecting and presenting nationally significant examples of Canada’s cultural and natural heritage. The National Cost-Sharing Program for Heritage Places encourages public and private sector investments to support heritage conservation which contributes to sustainable cities and communities and improves access to Canada’s historic places for Canadians. In many cases, the program supports projects for interpretation that aim to present the story of the place in a more inclusive way. It also supports projects that include considerations for improving Canadians’ access to heritage places. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Number of Heritage Resources Working group meetings that Parks Canada co-chairs (annually) with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial, Cultural Heritage Table (FPTCH) Starting point:Annual target. Target:At least 4 meetings. | As part of its work to broaden engagement with key stakeholders in the culture and heritage community, Parks Canada participates at the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Cultural Heritage (FPTCH) Table and is the Co-chair for the Heritage Resources working group. The goals of the FPTCH working group and their 2021 to 2026 FPTCH Strategic Plan are to improve the conservation of historic places which contributes to improving access to Canada’s cultural heritage. Parks Canada continues in an ongoing dialogue at the FPTCH Table on priority issues that reflect areas of common interest with federal, provincial, and territorial partners, such as:
| |
| Performance Indicator:Delivery of options for a new framework for the conservation of historic places in Canada to FPTCH Ministers and Deputy Ministers. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:Draft options will be presented by August 2024. |
As part of its work with the Federal, Provincial, Territorial Cultural Heritage Table, Parks Canada is collaborating with provinces and territories to develop options for a new framework for the conservation of historic places in Canada, contributing to ensuring and improving access to Canada’s cultural heritage to present and future generations. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 11.7 By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. |
Goal 12:
Reduce waste and transition to zero-emission vehicles
FSDS context
As a public-facing department, Parks Canada is well-positioned to demonstrate leadership in waste management and through the adoption of zero-emission vehicles and facilities, in support of the Government of Canada’s Greening Government commitments. To support the delivery of Parks Canada’s mandate and serve more than 25 million visitors in a typical year, Parks Canada manages a diverse and complex asset portfolio that is highly dispersed across Canada, including some of the most remote parts of the country. Valued at approximately $27.7 billion (2022 dollars), Parks Canada’s portfolio includes irreplaceable heritage structures, such as historic buildings, fortifications, historic canals, lighthouses, and Indigenous fish weirs, as well as contemporary assets, such as buildings, campgrounds, highways, bridges, dams, and other holdings. Certain assets, such as through highways and waterways, also serve as vital links for Canadian communities, supporting both transportation and economic activity.
There are several challenges inherent in managing these assets while reducing waste and emissions. Remote areas, areas accessed only by air or water, and northern climates add to the cost and complexity of operating, maintaining, and managing waste. Parks Canada also is the custodian of many assets of historical significance that require specialized maintenance, equipment, materials, and management to ensure their protection and long-term conservation, including the identification of new approaches to incorporate more sustainable materials in the packing and storage of artifacts and reduce the use of hard-to-recycle plastics. In addition, most the Parks Canada’s contemporary assets are aging and require significant ongoing investments.
To meet these challenges, Parks Canada is working from coast to coast to coast to reduce energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions through the acquisition of low and zero-emissions vehicles, reduce waste, procure green energy – as well as produce it through the innovative use of renewable energy sources – and increase climate resilience in its assets, services, and operations. For example, Parks Canada is incorporating new net-zero and low-emission visitor facilities in the places it administers, such as opening a new net-zero visitor kiosk in 2022 in Kouchibouguac National Park in New Brunswick and building a new net-zero visitor centre in Rouge National Urban Park in Ontario, scheduled for completion in autumn 2025.
Target theme: Federal leadership on responsible consumption
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximize diversion of waste from landfill | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage of non-hazardous operational waste (by weight) that is diverted from landfills. Starting point:12% as of March 2023. Target:At least 75% by 20302. |
The Government of Canada has committed to reduce plastic pollution and waste that Canadians send to disposal. Parks Canada's waste diversion actions demonstrate leadership towards these objectives by continuing to build upon best practices for reducing, reusing, and recycling. Actions to reduce non-hazardous operational waste also help to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Diverting waste from landfill reduces landfill gas and transport hauling emissions. Material recovery via recycling reduces emissions for the extraction and production of virgin materials. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. GIF Target — 12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. |
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Cumulative number of waste audits completed at operational units within the planning cycle. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:3 by March 2026. | ||
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage completion of the Waste Diversion Master Plan (Milestones: 50%: draft; 75%: consultation 100%: completed plan) Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:Waste Diversion Master Plan completed (100%) by March 31, 2025. | ||
| 1 Diversion includes material recycled, composted, or used to create an auxiliary environmental benefit for example create energy. 2 Departments must report on facilities they own, which:
| |||
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximize diversion of waste from landfill | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage of total waste (by weight) from construction and demolition projects greater than $5M that is diverted from landfills. Starting point:58% as of March 2023. Target:At least 90% (striving to achieve 100%) by 2030.3 |
The Government of Canada has committed to reduce plastic pollution and waste that Canadians send to disposal. Parks Canada's waste diversion actions demonstrate leadership towards these objectives by continuing to build upon best practices for reducing, reusing, and recycling. Actions to reduce non-hazardous operational waste also help to reduce Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Diverting waste from landfill reduces landfill gas and transport hauling emissions. Material recovery via recycling reduces emissions for the extraction and production of virgin materials. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 12.4 By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. GIF Target — 12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. |
Program:Internal Services |
Performance Indicator:Percentage completion of procedures for the management of construction and demolition waste (Milestones: 50%: draft; 75%: consultation; and 100%: completed procedures). Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:Procedures are completed (100%) by March 31, 2025. | ||
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Number of heritage buildings where life cycle analysis is used to measure embodied carbon. Starting point:New initiative for 2023. Target:1 by March 2027. |
Minimal interventions in construction are recommended in the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada to both conserve the amount of original fabric in historic buildings and reduce the amount of construction waste produced. Additionally, adaptive re-use of existing buildings will save new GHGs from being expended. Undertaking life cycle analysis to measure embodied carbon in existing heritage buildings can demonstrate the significance of the conservation of heritage buildings and “minimal interventions” at historic sites to sustainable management of federal heritage places, including through the reduction of waste. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 12.5 By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse. | |
| 3 Departments must report on completed CRD projects with a total value over $5 million, and in areas where commercial waste services are available. | |||
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transform the federal light-duty fleet | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage of ZEVs in Parks Canada's light-duty fleet. Starting Point:5% as of March 2023. Target:100% by 2030. Phase 1 (2023-24 and 2024-25):Performance Indicator:Percentage of new light-duty fleet vehicle purchases in a fiscal year that are ZEVs or hybrids, where suitable options exist. Starting point:Annual target. Target:At least 75%. Phase 2 (2025-26 and beyond):Performance indicator:Percentage of new light-duty fleet vehicle purchases in a fiscal year that are ZEVs, where suitable options exist. Starting point:Annual target. Target:100%. | Purchasing zero emission vehicles reduces greenhouse gas emissions from fleet operations. This enhances sustainable consumption. Increasing the number of zero-emission vehicles in the federal administrative fleet not only contributes to the Government of Canada’s broader goal of reducing emissions, but also demonstrates leadership towards Canada’s achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and fight against climate change. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — 12.1 Canadians consume in a sustainable manner. CIF Ambition — 12.1.1 Proportion of new light duty vehicle registrations that are zero-emission vehicles GIF Target — 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. |
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicator:Percentage of operational unit capital plans that integrate the tracking of ZEV charging infrastructure growth. Starting point:New target as of March 2023. Target:100% by March 2025. Performance indicator:Number of ZEV chargers recorded in Parks Canada’s asset management system. Starting point:68 ZEV chargers as of June 2023. Target:At least 300 ZEV chargers by March 2026. | Adding ZEV chargers to Parks Canada’s inventory and ensuring that they are added to operational unit capital plans supports adding ZEV vehicles to the fleet by ensuring there are adequate charging stations. This contributes both to the Government of Canada’s broader goal of reducing emissions, and demonstrates leadership towards Canada’s achievement of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and fight against climate change. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — 12.1 Canadians consume in a sustainable manner. CIF Indicator — 12.1.1 Proportion of new light duty vehicle registrations that are zero-emission vehicles GIF Target — 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. | |
| Strengthen green procurement criteria | From 2023 to 2027 Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage of functional specialists in procurement that have completed training on green procurement. Starting point:100% as of March 2023. Target:100% by March 2027. Performance indicator:Percentage of executives and cost centre managers that have completed training on green procurement. Starting point:54% as of March 2023. Target:80% by March 2027. | Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver, and their supply chains. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canadians consume in a sustainable manner. CIF Indicator — 12.2.1 Proportion of businesses that adopted selected environmental protection activities and management practices. GIF Target — 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. |
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Parks Canada specific green procurement guidance and templates for goods and services that are commonly acquired is available. Starting point:Green procurement guidance has been developed and some templates for commonly acquired goods and services have been developed. Target:Development and delivery of Parks Canada specific green procurement guidance and templates for goods and services that are commonly acquired are available by March 2027. | Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver, and their supply chains. Relevant targets or ambitions:cite>CIF Ambition — Canadians consume in a sustainable manner. CIF Indicator — 12.2.1 Proportion of businesses that adopted selected environmental protection activities and management practices. GIF Target — 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. | |
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicator:Percentage of call-ups associated with Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements that include environmental criteria. Starting point:13.6% in 2023. Target:15% by 2027. Performance indicator:Percentage of dollar value of expenditures associated with Standing Offers and Supply Arrangements that include environmental criteria. Starting point:9.5% in 2023. Target:10% by 2027. Performance indicator:Percentage of new centrally-solicited procurement instruments over $100,000 that include environmental considerations. Starting point:Annual target. Target:25% annually. | Green procurement incorporates environmental considerations into purchasing decisions and is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver, and their supply chains. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canadians consume in a sustainable manner. CIF Indicator — 12.2.1 Proportion of businesses that adopted selected environmental protection activities and management practices. GIF Target — 12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities. |
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Reduce waste and transition to zero-emission vehicles” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Remediate high-priority contaminated sites |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance Indicator:Number of FCSAP-funded high priority contaminated sites where risk reduction activities have been completed or where long-term monitoring is undertaken. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:3 by March 2027. | Risk mitigation measures are developed and implemented to address impacts from substances found to be harmful to human health and/or the environment and reduce associated risk and financial liabilities. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment. |
| 4 Risk mitigation includes remediation and/or risk management activities and corresponds to step 8 of the federal 10-step process for the management of contaminated sites. | |||
Goal 13:
Take action on climate change and its impacts
FSDS context
The effects of climate change are being felt at the global, national, and local scales. Parks Canada has both managed and observed impacts of climate change across the country that threatens the natural and cultural resources Parks Canada is mandated to protect for current and future generations. To fulfill its mandate, it is critical for Parks Canada to respond to climate change by actively working to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and build resiliency.
National heritage places do not exist in a vacuum and climate change and other stressors continue to put pressure on them, impacting the functionality of ecosystems, altering the suitable conditions for species, and changing their habitats as well as altering the frequency, extent, and intensity of disturbances, such as storms, floods, and fires. Further, the knowledge of the suitability of built assets to withstand these rapid changes—or, in the case of ecosystems, to withstand or rapidly adapt to them—is still evolving. Understanding, maintaining, and restoring ecological connectivity within and around protected heritage areas is becoming increasingly important.
National historic sites, national parks, national marine conservation areas, and other protected places provide a natural solution for climate change. They help to conserve biodiversity, protect ecosystem services, connect landscapes, and absorb and store carbon. Canada’s protection of lands and oceans helps to fight and mitigate the effects of climate change. Lands and oceans can act as carbon sinks, absorbing greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise warm our planet. They also provide refuge and migration routes to help native wildlife species cope with a changing climate.
As a contributor to the Government of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy, Parks Canada continues to work to integrate and prioritize sustainability in its internal business practices and procedures to ensure that its places support broader sustainability objectives. Updated government wide direction will reinforce Parks Canada’s considerations of potential environmental and economic effects in the development of new programs and policies, with a special focus on climate change and biodiversity.
Target theme: Federal leadership on greenhouse gas emissions reductions and climate resilience
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implement the Greening Government Strategy through measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve climate resilience, and green the government’s overall operations | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicators:Percentage change in Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions from 2005–06 to current reporting year. Starting points:In 2005-06, scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions were 40.2 ktCO2e. Targets:Reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 40% by 2025 and by at least 90% below 2005 levels by 2050. |
Actions to implement the greening government strategy will demonstrate leadership and support Canada’s sustainability goals already established under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, and commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Additional measures contributing to the Greening Government Strategy can be found under goal 12, above. |
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicator:Percentage of annual grid electricity consumption from clean energy sources. Starting point:80% as of March 2023. Target:100% by March 31, 2025. | Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. CIF Target — By 2030, reduce Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45%, relative to 2005 emission levels. By 2050, achieve economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. | |
| Modernize through net-zero carbon buildings |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicators:Percentage completion of Net-Zero Portfolio Plan. (Milestones: 33% at first draft, 66% at second draft and 99% at final report stages). Starting point:33% complete as of March 2023. Target:100% completion by March 2024. |
The actions contributing to this implementation strategy support a transition to net-zero carbon operations by identifying targets for energy demand reductions and/or promoting a transition to lower carbon sources of energy. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. CIF Target — By 2030, reduce Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45%, relative to 2005 emission levels. By 2050, achieve economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. |
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicators:Number of priority facilities identified and audited within high GHG-emitting operational units. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:At least 5% by March 2026. | ||
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicator:A process for tracking and disclosing embodied carbon in Parks Canada’s construction activities is developed and piloted. (Milestones: 25%: Roles and responsibilities identified; 50%: procedures drafted; 75%: communicate requirements 100%: implementation) Starting Point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:100% completed by March 2025. | ||
| Apply a greenhouse gas reduction life-cycle cost analysis for major building retrofits | In 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services |
Performance indicators:Percentage completion of a Parks Canada guideline and pilot for LCCA for new construction and major retrofits. (Milestones: 20%: draft guideline; 40%: technical review; 60%: internal consultations; 80%: finalize guideline; 100%: guideline approval and implementation. Starting points:20% (draft guideline) complete as of March 2023. Targets:100% completed by March 2026. |
The actions contributing to this implementation strategy support a transition to net-zero carbon operations by identifying targets for energy demand reductions and/or promoting a transition to lower carbon sources of energy. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canadians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. CIF Target — By 2030, reduce Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 45%, relative to 2005 emission levels. By 2050, achieve economy-wide net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Pilot projects are conducted to perform an energy retrofit on heritage buildings. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:At least 2 by March 2027. |
Understanding the reduction of GHGs while preserving the heritage integrity of a building will contribute to understanding how this can contribute to decrease their energy consumption and reduce the carbon footprint towards climate change mitigation targets. These pilot projects will consider both embodied and operational carbon by repairing existing building fabric, reducing air leakage, considering insulation strategies, and conserving and improving heritage window performance. Parks Canada will use lessons learned in these pilots to expand the practices within its heritage asset portfolio and share them in with other managers of heritage assets, increasing capacity to respond to the effects of climate change. Cultural heritage conservation and reducing the carbon footprint of heritage buildings is a priority action on climate change that can take place at national historic sites, national parks, national marine conservation areas and national urban parks. Related targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. GIF Target — 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. GIF Target — 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. |
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduce risks posed by climate change to federal assets, services, and operations | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Internal Services | Performance indicator:Percentage completion of portfolio-level climate change risk analysis (Milestones: 25%: first draft & technical review; 50% plan is finalized and approved; 75% portfolio-level risk assessment is completed; 100%: risk assessment is communicated and integrated). Starting point:25% (technical review stage) as of March 2023. Target:100% complete by March 2026. | Completing portfolio-level risk assessment will advance Parks Canada’s understanding of current and projected climate impacts to its operations over time. It will also contribute to the development of adaptation measures and support timely, informed decision-making. This action also more broadly supports Canada's need to adapt to the changing climate by building resilience and reducing vulnerability to impacts in communities, regions, ecosystems, and economic sectors. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. GIF Target — 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. GIF Target — 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Average number of hectares treated annually for fuel management. Starting point:Historical average of 200 hectares per year, as of March 2023. Target:Average of 300 hectares/year by March 2027. | Climate change is driving more intense, faster moving and longer lasting wildfires. Parks Canada takes direct wildfire risk reduction actions, such as prescribed fires, forest thinning, and the creation of community fire guards. By decreasing the buildup of flammable vegetation, these wildfire risk reduction actions help reduce the rate of spread and intensity of wildfires and allow more time to use fire suppression methods. Parks Canada’s prescribed fire and effective fire management program can help create more diverse landscapes and improve ecosystems’ ability to adapt to the changing climate. Resilient landscapes can recover and persist, even with the predicted impacts of climate change. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. GIF Target — 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. GBF Target — 8 Climate Change and Biodiversity and GBF Target — 11 Ecosystem Services and Functions | |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of completed risk assessments. Starting point:8 assessments completed as of March 2023. Target:35 risk assessments completed by March 2027. | Climate change risk assessments allow for practical management of historical and archaeological objects at national historic sites by establishing a plan to identify, respond to, and mitigate the effects of climate change on these cultural resources. Risk mitigation measures identified in the completion of risk assessments are a way to respond to the challenges of climate change. This supports Parks Canada in making targeted investments in preventive conservation at heritage places to be prepared and able to implement mitigation measures that can help to safeguard these cultural heritage assets from climate change related impacts and disasters. Related targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. GIF Target — 13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. GIF Target — 13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning. |
Goal 14:
Conserve and protect Canada’s oceans
FSDS context
Parks Canada is mandated to establish a network of national marine conservation areas (NMCAs) representative of the diversity of Canada’s 29 oceanic and Great Lakes marine regions under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act. Parks Canada’s role is to protect these NMCAs and ensure that they are used in an ecologically sustainable manner. As of March 2023, the NMCA network is 21% complete with five NMCAs across Canada.
Parks Canada supports Government of Canada’s commitment to protect 25% of Canada’s coastal areas and marine waters by 2025, while working toward attaining the global target of 30% by 2030. This is an ambitious goal that represents significant challenges and opportunities for Parks Canada. The twin global crises of climate change and biodiversity loss significantly affect Canada’s marine environment, compelling Parks Canada to respond by protecting marine and freshwater biodiversity, including marine species at risk. The growing global recognition that protecting ocean areas can help address these crises, along with Parks Canada’s strengthening partnerships with Indigenous governments and communities, presents Parks Canada with a historic and unique opportunity: to significantly expand the system of national marine conservation areas to help combat biodiversity loss and climate change.
Parks Canada is ideally positioned through its mandate to protect, conserve, and foster public understanding and appreciation for our natural and cultural heritage places and to engage Canadians to learn about marine and land ecosystems that they would not normally be able to experience. The opportunity to explore and learn from the waters, lands, and ice also emphasizes Indigenous knowledge, values, and cultures, as well as how Indigenous peoples view these environments as connected and seamless ecosystems. Indigenous perspectives tell us that there are no lines separating waters, lands, and ice; rather, they are a unified whole that together supports the animals and creatures that live in these special places.
Compared to Parks Canada’s national park program, which began over 135 years ago with the establishment of Banff National Park, the NMCA program is still in its relative infancy at just over 20 years old. Parks Canada’s focus in the first two decades of the NMCA program has been on setting up the framework that guides their management. The year 2023 marked a big step toward this when a new policy was announced to guide the establishment and management of NMCAs. The policy brings clarity on the management of NMCAs, along with a new zoning framework that is more responsive to both protection and ecologically sustainable use objectives. It identifies a suite of management tools for NMCAs, including regulatory tools to be developed under the Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act. These regulatory tools, as well as work toward the establishment of new NMCAs toward Canada’s targets will be significant areas of focus over the period of the 2023 to 2027 DSDS.
For this goal, Parks Canada also has related commitments under the 2022 Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Where a GBF target is relevant, it has been included in the last column of the table in this section with Global Indicator Framework (GIF) and Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets.
Target theme: Ocean protection and conservation
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build knowledge of coastal and marine ecosystems and marine protected areas | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance indicator:Parks Canada has a new indicator that describes and accounts for progress on monitoring for coastal and marine ecosystems in NMCAs. Starting point:New initiative for 2023. Target:One new indicator by December 2024. |
The development and implementation of monitoring protocols for the NMCA program helps to build knowledge of coastal and marine ecosystems through research and the identification of stressors. This knowledge will contribute to making effective and timely management decisions to reduce threats, respond to change and enhance ecosystems.
Relevant targets or ambitionsGIF Target — 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. |
| Protect, manage, and restore marine and coastal areas | From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance Indicator:Percentage of marine regions represented in the NMCA system. Starting point:17% as of March 2023. Target:At least 31% by March 2025. Performance Indicator:Number of new memoranda of understanding or other agreements negotiated with Indigenous groups to support work towards the establishment of new NMCAs. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:8 agreements by March 2026. |
The establishment of new national marine conservation areas provides for their protection, management, and restoration by Parks Canada. It also contributes toward Canada’s commitment to protect 25% of Canada’s coastal areas and marine waters by 2025 and 30% by 2030, as well as to Canada’s commitments in the 2022 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada protects and conserves marine areas and sustainably manages ocean fish stocks. CIF Indicator — 14.1.1 Proportion of marine and coastal areas conserved. CIF Target — 14.1.1 Conserve 25% of Canada's oceans by 2025, working towards 30% by 2030. GIF Target — 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. GBF Target — 2 Restoration of degraded ecosystems. GBF Target — 3 Protect and Conserve Areas. |
Program:Heritage Places Establishment |
Performance Indicator:Number of NMCAs with demonstrable progress towards establishment (e.g. negotiation of Memorandum of Understanding or other interim protection measure). Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:10 by March 2026. |
||
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance indicator:General regulations will set controls for activities and uses in NMCAs in support of protection and ecological sustainable use objectives. Starting Point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:Regulation coming into force by December 2026. Milestone:Pre-publication of draft regulation in Canada Gazette Part 1 by December 2024. | The development of legally enforceable general regulations for managing activities in NMCAs will support their sustainable use by establishing protection and ecological sustainable use objectives. They will also provide standards for the protection of natural and cultural resources in NMCAs, consistent with the marine protection standards announced in 2019 for federal marine protected areas (managed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada). These new regulations will lead to increase protection of the marine and coastal ecosystems and thereby contribute to maintaining the health of Canada's oceans. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. GBF Target — 2 Restoration of degraded ecosystems. GBF Target — 3 Protect and Conserve Areas |
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Conserve and protect Canada’s oceans” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Support the recovery and protection of Canada’s endangered whales |
From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Percentage of actions in Parks Canada conservation plans that are implemented for Southern Resident Killer Whales. Starting point:93.5% of actions have been completed as of March 2023. Target:100% by March 2026. | This action contributes to the protection and recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whale within and adjacent to Gulf Islands and Pacific Rim National Park Reserves, in collaboration with Indigenous partners and others. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans. |
Goal 15:
Protect and recover species, conserve Canadian biodiversity
FSDS context
Since its establishment as the world’s first national park service in 1911, Parks Canada has been entrusted with protecting an increasing number of natural areas within a system of national parks that represents each of Canada’s natural regions. As of 2023, there are 47 national parks in Canada representing 79% of Canada’s natural regions. Work continues to establish new national parks and national park reserves in the remaining natural regions, as well as to further work on other protected areas that help to conserve nature.
Canadians are increasingly concerned about the environment that future generations will inherit. In a world of rapid change, the national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas administered by Parks Canada are regarded around the world as models of environmental stewardship and as an important legacy to be preserved for future generations. They are also tangible and enduring evidence of Canada’s commitment to natural conservation.
Parks Canada supports Government of Canada’s commitment to protect 25% of Canada’s lands and freshwaters by 2025, while working toward attaining the global target of 30% by 2030. This objective provides a “natural solution” to the two fundamental environmental challenges facing the world—biodiversity loss, including species at risk, and climate change. The benefits to protected areas are manifold in this respect. Protected areas, especially those established within interconnected corridors, help to conserve biodiversity, protect ecosystem services, connect landscapes, absorb and store carbon, build knowledge and understanding, and inspire people to take action to protect the environment.
Increasingly, new national parks reflect Indigenous leadership and collaboration in establishment, cooperative management, and development of economic opportunities. Collaboration with Indigenous partners is critical. It also supports reconciliation by empowering Indigenous peoples to strengthen their connections with traditionally used lands and waters.
For this goal, Parks Canada also has related commitments under the 2022 Kunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Where a GBF target is relevant, it has been included in the last column of the table in this section with Global Indicator Framework (GIF) and Canadian Indicator Framework (CIF) targets.
Target theme: Conservation of land and fresh water
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserve natural spaces |
From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
This work will also include the assessment of national heritage sites administered by Parks Canada that meet the criteria for recognition under the category of “Other effective area-based conservation measures” (OECMs) that will contribute toward Canada’s targets. Program:Heritage Places Establishment | Performance Indicator:Number of national parks and freshwater national marine conservation areas with demonstrable progress toward establishment. Starting point:New target for March 2023. Target:10 new national parks by March 2026. Performance indicator:Percentage of terrestrial regions represented in the national park system. Starting point:75% as of March 2015. Target:at least 82% by March 2025. Performance indicator:Percentage of marine regions represented in the national marine conservation area system. Starting point:17% as of March 2012. Target:at least 31% as of March 2025. | By collaborating with Indigenous, provincial/territorial, and other partners to establish new national parks and national park reserves, Parks Canada directly supports the Government of Canada’s goal to conserve 25% of lands and inland waters by 2025 and 30 % of each by 2030, halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 in Canada, achieve a full recovery of nature by 2050 and champion this goal internationally. By collaborating with partners to establish new national parks and national park reserves in representative natural regions across the country, Parks Canada will ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada conserves and restores ecosystems and habitat. CIF Indicator — 15.3.1 Proportion of terrestrial (land and freshwater) areas conserved. CIF Target — 15.3.1 Conserve 25% of Canada’s land by 2025, working towards 30% by 2023. GIF Target — 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. GIF Target — 15.4 By 2030, ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, in order to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development. GBF Target — 3 Protect and conserve areas. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance indicator:Percentage of national park ecosystems with stable or improving trends. Starting point:79% as of March 2023. Target:92% by March 2025. | Parks Canada's ecological integrity monitoring program supports the understanding of ecosystem changes, and prioritisation of evidence-based actions to improve ecological integrity, protect species at risk, and reduce and halt the loss of biodiversity within Parks Canada-administered places. These actions will support ecosystem conservation, biodiversity, and health by monitoring ecosystems in both terrestrial and marine components of national parks, and focus efforts on understanding and responding to ecological integrity indicators that will improve conservation results. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 2 Restoration of degraded ecosystems GBF Target — 11 Restore, maintain, and enhance nature’s contribution to people including ecosystem functions and services. | |
Program:Heritage Places Establishment |
Performance Indicator:Number of ecological corridors identified and recognized. Starting point:New program in April 2022. Target:3 by December 2025. | Ecological corridors improve ecological connectivity between protected and conserved areas by facilitating species movement between protected and conserved areas safely and allowing dispersal to new habitats and completing life cycle needs. Ecological corridors also allow researchers to observe and anticipate shifts in the distribution of species and ecosystems and facilitate adaptation to a changing climate. They strengthen the resilience and adaptive capacity of biota and their biomes and protect against biodiversity loss. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 11 Restore, maintain, and enhance nature’s contribution to people including ecosystem functions and services. | |
| Support Indigenous leadership in conservation | From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage places conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of natural heritage places managed cooperatively with Indigenous peoples. Starting point:20 as of March 2019. Target:At least 27 by March 2024. | Parks Canada works closely with Inuit, Métis, and First Nations peoples to braid Indigenous knowledge with western science in the way it administers the heritage places in its care. This helps to gain a more complete picture of conservation challenges and solutions. It also contributes towards targets for the conservation of land and fresh water. This action also contributes to implementation strategies under Goal 10, above. |
Program:Heritage places conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of places where Indigenous Peoples use lands and waters according to their traditional and modern practices. Starting point:31 as of March 2019. Target:Between 32 and 42 by March 2025. | Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples have been nurturing a long-term relationship with lands, waters, and ice, resulting in deep understandings of places and living systems. Parks Canada is committed to a system of national heritage places that recognizes and honours the historic and contemporary contributions of Indigenous peoples, their histories, and cultures, as well as the stewardship relationships Indigenous peoples have with ancestral lands, waters, and ice. This action also contributes to implementation strategies under Goal 10, above. | |
Program:Heritage places conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of Indigenous Guardian and equivalent programs operating in protected heritage areas administered by Parks Canada. Starting point:17 implemented programs as of March 2023. Target:30 by March 2025. | Parks Canada prioritizes Indigenous leadership in conservation through its commitment to managing natural heritage places cooperatively with Indigenous peoples and through its programs. The Indigenous Guardians program supports Indigenous management practices and stewardship responsibilities within their territories based on a cultural relationship with lands, water, and ice. Indigenous Guardians programs are Indigenous community/partner-led programs which are place-based expressions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis responsibilities to their traditional territories, treaty lands and ancestral homelands. Indigenous Guardians programs also provide training and capacity building for Indigenous peoples to support their contribution to the protection and management of land and resources. Parks Canada’s work in this area touches many areas of its mandate. More contributions to this commitment can also be found under Goal 10, above. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services |
Target theme: Species protection and recovery
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deliver enhanced conservation action. |
From 2023 to 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance indicator:Percentage of national park ecosystems with stable or improving trends. Starting point:79% as of March 2023. Target:92% by March 2025. | Parks Canada's ecological monitoring program supports understanding of ecosystem changes, and prioritisation of evidence-based actions to improve ecological integrity, protect species at risk, and reduce and halt the loss of biodiversity within Parks Canada administered places. These actions will support terrestrial and marine ecosystem conservation, biodiversity, and health by monitoring ecosystems in national parks, and focus efforts on understanding and responding to ecological integrity indicators that will improve conservation results. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada ensures all species have healthy and viable populations. CIF Indicator — 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level. CIF Indicator — 15.2.1 Proportion of species at risk showing progress towards their population and distribution objectives. GIF Target — 15.1 By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains, and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements. GBF Target — 11 Restore, maintain, and enhance nature’s contribution to people including ecosystem functions and services. |
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Number of multi-species action plans posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry. Starting point:23 as of March 2023. Target:26 by March 2026. | Parks Canada multi-species action plans identify recovery measures that will contribute to the recovery of species at risk by supporting the population trends consistent with recovery strategies and management plans. In support of this, Parks Canada works in collaboration with key Indigenous partners and stakeholders to enhance species recovery across the landscape. Parks Canada’s ability to deliver actions on the ground identified through multi-species action plans, will contribute to the protection and recovery of threatened species and support biodiversity. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada ensures all species have healthy and viable populations. CIF Indicator — 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level. CIF Indicator — 15.2.1 Proportion of species at risk showing progress towards their population and distribution objectives. GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 4 Halting species extinction and reducing extinctions risk. | |
Review and develop performance indicators to measure Parks Canada’s contribution to the conservation and recovery activities for species at risk. Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Parks Canada has a suite of performance indicators that demonstrate its contribution to conservation and recovery of species at risk and meeting the federal target. Starting point:1 as of March 2023. Target:Complete indicator suite by March 2024. | The 2022 audit of the Commissioner on Environment and Sustainable Development on the development of strategies in support of federal species target highlighted the need to provide relevant performance indicators to demonstrate Parks Canada’s full contribution in this area. The development of these indicators will allow Parks Canada to better to track and demonstrate its contributions toward meeting the federal target. The existing performance indicator is “Number of multi-species action plans posted on the species at risk public registry” and will be reported on as part of this DSDS. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada ensures all species have healthy and viable populations. CIF Indicator — 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level. CIF Indicator — 15.2.1 Proportion of species at risk showing progress towards their population and distribution objectives. GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 4 Halting species extinction and reducing extinctions risk. | |
| Work with partners to implement the Pan-Canadian Approach to Transforming Species at Risk Conservation in Canada and the Framework for Aquatic Species at Risk Conservation |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:Number of multi-species action plans posted on the Species at Risk Public Registry. Starting point:23 as of March 2023. Target:26 by March 2026. | Parks Canada multi-species action plans identify recovery measures that will contribute to the recovery of species at risk by supporting the population trends consistent with recovery strategies and management plans. In support of this, Parks Canada works in collaboration with key Indigenous partners and stakeholders to enhance species recovery across the landscape, working to ensure conservation efforts focus on shared priority places, species, and threats, and strengthening partnerships. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada ensures all species have healthy and viable populations. CIF Indicator — 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level. CIF Indicator — 15.2.1 Proportion of species at risk showing progress towards their population and distribution objectives. GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 4 Halting species extinction and reducing extinctions risk. |
| Work with partners to enhance foundational knowledge of species, habitats, and ecosystems |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation |
Performance Indicator:An indicator is developed that accounts for progress on co-application of western science and Indigenous Knowledge in Conservation and Restoration projects, linked to the principles of Parks Canada’s Indigenous Stewardship Framework. Starting point:New initiative for March 2023. Target:One indicator by March 2027. |
Parks Canada collaborates with Indigenous partners to weave Indigenous Knowledge into the planning and implementation of its Conservation and Restoration projects, in support of increasing conservation successes. Relevant targets or ambitions:GIF Target — 15.5 Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species. GBF Target — 2 Restoration of degraded ecosystems GBF Target — 4 Halting species extinction and reducing extinctions risk. GBF Target — 21 Ensure data, information, and knowledge are accessible to decision makers, practitioners, and the public. |
Implementation strategies supporting the goal
This section is for implementation strategies that support the goal “Protect and recover species, conserve Canadian biodiversity” but not a specific FSDS target.
| Implementation strategy | Departmental action | Performance indicator starting point target | How the departmental action contributes to the FSDS goal and target and, where applicable, to Canada’s 2030 Agenda National Strategy and SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prevent, detect, respond to, control, and manage invasive alien species. |
From 2023 – 2027, Parks Canada will:
Program:Heritage Places Conservation | Performance Indicator:Percentage of ecosystems with stable or improving trends. Starting point:79% as of March 2023. Target:92% by March 2025. | Parks Canada’s ecological integrity monitoring includes the development and implementation of tools that will allow assessment of invasive alien species detection and inform management actions in their prevention, eradication, and control. Relevant targets or ambitions:CIF Ambition — Canada ensures all species have healthy and viable populations. CIF Indicator — 15.1.1 Proportion of native wild species ranked secure or apparently secure according to the national extinction risk level. CIF Indicator — 15.2.1 Proportion of species at risk showing progress towards their population and distribution objectives. GIF Target — 15.8 By 2020, introduce measures to prevent the introduction and significantly reduce the impact of invasive alien species on land and water ecosystems and control or eradicate the priority species. GBF Target — 6 Managing invasive alien species. |
Section 5:
Integrating Sustainable Development
Parks Canada will continue to ensure that its decision-making process includes consideration of FSDS goals and targets through its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. An SEA for a policy, plan or program proposal includes an analysis of the impacts of the given proposal on the environment, including on relevant FSDS goals and targets.
Public statements on the results of Parks Canada’s assessments are made public when an initiative that has undergone a detailed SEA and are posted on a dedicated SEA page on Parks Canada’s website. The purpose of the public statement is to demonstrate that the environmental effects, including the impacts on achieving the FSDS goals and targets, of the approved policy, plan or program have been considered during proposal development and decision making.
Cat. No.: R61-109E-PDF
ISSN: 2561-2409
Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials in this publication, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from Parks Canada’s copyright administrator. To obtain permission to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes, apply for Crown Copyright Clearance by contacting:
Parks Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, Quebec
Canada
J8X 0B3
information@pc.gc.ca
All images in document © Parks Canada
© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada
Aussi disponible en français
- Date modified :