Parks Canada celebrates successful Canada 150 season at Western Quebec National Historic Sites

More Canadians than ever before enjoyed amazing experiences at Parks Canada’s places in 2017

October 26, 2017                            Montreal, Quebec                     Parks Canada Agency

National parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas represent the very best that Canada has to offer and tell stories of who we are, including the history, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017, the Government of Canada offered free admission for all visitors to Parks Canada’s places to encourage Canadians to experience their rich history and heritage in a special way. Parks Canada is pleased to have welcomed more visitors to our treasured places than ever before, and to have played an important role in the celebration of Canada 150.

The public attended events in the 11 national Historic Sites in western Quebec which have witnessed a 30% general visitation growth compared to 2016. Some sites experienced an even greater growth in popularity, such as the Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site, where the number of visitors increase more than twice last year attendance to more than 20,000, and the Fort Chambly National Historic Site, which attracted almost 190,000 visitors during many events.

Several new events marked the season 2017. The Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site officially presented its new Imagine a Country exhibition. This participatory exhibition, still taking place, encourages the visitors to become active players of positive changes in the society and to share their visions of a dream country.

On National Aboriginal Day, the Fort Témiscamingue National Historic Site held a pow wow. That unprecedented event, organized in collaboration with Timiskaming First Nation of Notre-Dame-Du-Nord, marked the start of a season with an Algonquin touch. Visitors could experience that nation’s rich cultural heritage while attending traditional dance and percussion performances. This priceless collaboration with First Nations people went on throughout the summer along with workshops on Algonquin themes.

Celebrations are still taking place at the Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site as it remains open this fall and, starting December 2nd, visitors are invited to experience a Victorian Christmas at the Cartier’s place. The Champagne Charlotte & Crinoline theme will present the top 7 fashionable trend dating back to 1867 for a successful Christmas party, whether it is about invitations, decorations, table settings or nice clothes, visitors will be surprised by the contemporary style.

The Government is determined to preserve our National Historic Sites and make them more accessible so that Canadians, especially young people and newcomers to Canada, can learn more about our diverse history. Parks Canada continues to ensure the best possible visitor experience for people coming to our places, and has effectively managed 2017’s increased visitation.

To help visitors plan their experiences, Parks Canada launched a mobile application earlier this season. The application is incredibly popular and, to date, there have been over 150,000 downloads. The Parks Canada Mobile App is a great planning tool which offers up-to-date information and resources to help visitors plan their visit and discover breathtaking locations, including a list of hidden gems, and other unique and memorable experiences at national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation areas.

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