Today, the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, hiked the trails of Rouge National Urban Park following a community event to launch Parks Canada’s 2018 visitor season at Rouge National Urban Park and to celebrate the Canada-China Year of Tourism.

“Last year, we welcomed a record high number of 20.8 million international visitors to our country, many of whom visited Parks Canada’s destinations. I encourage all Canadian families to take advantage of free admission for youth. We also look forward to welcoming Chinese tourists to visit these national treasures, like Rouge National Urban Park, as we celebrate the 2018 Canada-China Year of Tourism.”

The Honourable Bardish Chagger,
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism

“Following the largest ever consultation on Parks Canada, one of my goals is to encourage more Canadians – particularly youth – to experience the outdoors and learn about our heritage. That’s why I am so proud that we are offering free admission for youth, starting in 2018 and beyond, to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas. This is the perfect way to celebrate families and the importance of protected areas. I invite all Canadian families to discover nature and connect with history at Parks Canada places. Download the Parks Canada Mobile App and plan your trip today.”

The Honourable Catherine McKenna,
Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

• Following the largest consultation ever on Parks Canada, through the Minister’s Round Table, Let’s Talk Parks, Canada!, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna, has put forward her priorities for Parks Canada. Encouraging more Canadians – particularly youth – to experience the outdoors and learn about our heritage was one of the main themes and free admission for youth supports the goal of developing the next generation of stewards for Canada’s protected areas.
  

• More than 13,000 Canadians provided feedback through the Minister’s Round Table, Let’s Talk Parks, Canada!. Minister McKenna has identified three priories for Parks Canada: to Protect and Restore our national parks and historic sites; to enable people to further Discover and Connect with our national parks and heritage; and to Sustain for generations to come the incredible value – both ecological and economic – that our national parks and historic sites provide for communities. 

• Parks Canada will be welcoming visitors for another season at 46 national parks, one national urban park, four national marine conservation areas, and 171 national historic sites.
  

• The 2018 Parks Canada Discovery Pass is now on sale and is a great value, providing access to these national treasures all year long. The Parks Canada Discovery Pass is the ideal way to discover nature and connect with Canada’s history. For information on purchasing the 2018 Parks Canada Discovery Pass, please visit the Parks Canada website. 
  

• For the 2018 visitor season, Parks Canada has launched version 2.0 of the Parks Canada Mobile App. The App helps visitors plan their trip and offers fun and interactive content. New features will help visitors make the most of their Parks Canada experiences, including downloadable trail maps and a new feature that allows visitors to create their own itineraries based on travel dates and events happening at Parks Canada places.

• Once completed, Rouge National Urban Park will span an area 79 km² in size, making it one of the world's largest protected areas in an urban setting – 19 times larger than Vancouver’s Stanley Park, and 23 times bigger than New York’s Central Park.
  

• Our bonds run deep: more than 1.8 million Canadians have Chinese ancestry. Mandarin and Cantonese are Canada’s third and fourth most widely spoken languages, respectively.
  

Associated links

• Parks Canada Website
• Rouge National Urban Park
• Parks Canada App
• Let’s Talk Parks, Canada!
• Cultural Access Pass
• Canada-China Year of Tourism 2018

Caroline Thériault      
Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change
819-938-3813
caroline.theriault2@canada.ca

Sandra Aubé
Office of the Minister of Small Business and Tourism
343-291-2700

Media Relations
Parks Canada Agency
855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca