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This document was prepared by the staff of the Parliamentary Research Branch to provide Canadian Parliamentarians with plain language background and analysis of proposed government legislation. Legislative summaries are not government documents. They have no official legal status and do not constitute legal advice or opinion. Please note, the Legislative Summary describes the bill as of the date shown at the beginning of the document. For the latest published version of the bill, please consult the parliamentary internet site at www.parl.gc.ca.


LS-338E

 

BILL C-70:  AN ACT RESPECTING NATIONAL PARKS

 

Prepared by:
Jean-Luc Bourdages
Science and Technology Division
16 April 1999


LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF BILL C-70

 

HOUSE OF COMMONS

SENATE

Bill Stage Date Bill Stage Date
First Reading:

16 March 1999

First Reading:  
Second Reading:   Second Reading:  
Committee Report:   Committee Report:  
Report Stage:   Report Stage:  
Third Reading:   Third Reading:  


Royal Assent:
Statutes of Canada







N.B. Any substantive changes in this Legislative Summary which have been made since the preceding issue are indicated in bold print.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

   A. Short Title and Definitions (Clauses 1 and 2)

   B. Her Majesty and National Parks (Clauses 3 to 7)

   C. Administration of National Parks (Clauses 8 to 12)

   D. Administration of Park Lands (Clauses 13 to 15)

   E. National Parks Regulations (Clauses 16 to 18)

   F. Enforcement of the Act (Clauses 19 to 24)

   G. Offences and Punishment (Clauses 25 to 32)

   H. Mitigation of Damage to the Environment and the Communities (Clauses 33 to 35)

   I. Provisions for Particular Parks and Park Reserves (Clauses 36 to 42)

   J. National Historical Sites (Clause 43)

   K. Repeals, Consequential Amendments and Conditional Amendments (Clauses 44 to 52)

   L. Coming into Force (Clause 53) and Schedules

COMMENTARY


BILL C-70: AN ACT RESPECTING NATIONAL PARKS

BACKGROUND

Bill C-70, An Act respecting national parks, was tabled in the House of Commons by the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Secretary of State (Parks) on 16 March 1999 and received first reading on that date. It is designed first of all to amend and consolidate the National Parks Act(1) as well as to mark officially the creation of the Aulavik National Park in the Northwest Territories, Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland, Wapusk National Park in Manitoba and the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve in British Columbia. It would also enable the government to enact a large number of housekeeping measures and new provisions arising out of the many amendments made to the Act over the years.

The tabling of Bill C-70 is part of a series of actions that include the recent creation of the Parks Canada Agency, the enactment of Bill C-29 in December 1998 and the even more recent tabling in the House of Commons of Bill C-48, which is designed to establish and administer a network of marine conservation areas. Once in force, these three Acts will form a complete and coherent body of legislation that will strengthen the ability of the Government of Canada to preserve and protect the exceptional heritage sites in this country. The creation of a national system of parks dates back to 1885 when hot springs were discovered in what would later become the Rocky Mountains Park, now known as Banff National Park.

According to the Department of Canadian Heritage itself, the existing National Parks Act, which dates back to 1930, is a set of disparate provisions resulting from the many amendments made to the Act over the years.(2) The most recent major amendments were made by Parliament in 1974 and in 1988.(3) This Act is now being thoroughly updated; the existing provisions have been rearranged to make matters clearer and simpler and substantive changes have been made where necessary. These amendments are of three kinds:

  • rationalization of the process of creation and enlargement of parks;
  • control over commercial development in the communities located in the parks; and
  • extension of measures to protect wildlife and other resources in the parks.

The substantive amendments made to these three aspects of the administration of national parks are extremely important, given the development of the system and the objectives of Canada in this regard. Under the existing Act, the creation of a park requires the enactment of a statute by Parliament to add a description of the lands in the park to the Schedule to the National Parks Act, thereby ensuring that the park is protected under the Act. However, this procedure is very cumbersome and time-consuming and slows down the completion of the parks system.

In Bill C-70, the government proposes that new parks and park reserves be created in future by means of orders in council; in this way, a description of the lands in the new park could be added to the Schedule to the National Parks Act without Parliament having to enact new legislation. Under this new procedure Parliament would continue to have an important role to play, since the draft order in council would first be tabled in the House of Commons and the Senate and then referred to the appropriate standing committees. If either chamber of Parliament rejected the order, no new park would be created. It should also be noted that the order in council procedure could be used solely to create new parks or to enlarge existing parks; in order to reduce the area of a national park, Parliament would have to pass an Act. Finally, under the new procedure it would still be necessary to consult the public, other government departments, other levels of government, and interest groups with respect to the creation of new parks.

More specifically, Bill C-70 would introduce measures to control commercial development in the communities located in certain national parks. In fact, there are seven such communities, the urban-style centres of Banff and Jasper and the visitor service centres in Lake Louise, Field, Waterton Lakes, Wasagaming and Waskesiu. At the present time, commercial development in the communities in the national parks is not governed by any legislation. There is only one such provision that can be used to define the boundaries of Banff and Jasper by having a description of them added to a Schedule to the National Parks Act. All the communities are subject in varying degrees to internal pressures for development, though they all recognize that they cannot continue to grow indefinitely. It has been shown that the effects of such development on the ecological integrity of the region are cumulative and do not all appear immediately.

Under Bill C-70, community plans based on principles set out in the legislation would be proposed for each of the communities located in the parks and submitted to Parliament. The new Act would make it possible to control commercial development in the communities in the national parks by providing a power for a Schedule to the National Parks Act to define:

  • the boundaries of each park community;
  • the boundaries of the commercial zones; and
  • the maximum commercial floor space.

The fact that the essential elements of the community plans were set out in the Act would make it possible to balance the needs of the local residents (with respect to the growth and development of their community) with the national interest (with respect to the maintenance of the ecological integrity of the park network). Since commercial growth would be limited, any change would have to be the subject of new legislation following a national debate in Parliament. Thus, all aspects of the question would be considered.

Concerns about the conservation and protection of wildlife and other resources in the parks relate primarily to poaching of and trafficking in not only wildlife species but also plants and fossils. At present, the hunting or possession of wild animals in a national park is an offence, but there is no penalty for trafficking in wildlife or natural resources, such as rare plants and fossils, or for possessing these goods for the purpose of trafficking. As far as poaching is concerned, the Schedule to the National Parks Act contains a list of wildlife species which, because of their vulnerability and relative rarity, are afforded special protection in the national parks and reserves.

Under Bill C-70, these species would be divided between two schedules on the basis of their degree of vulnerability and the protection they require. Furthermore, the penalties provided for poaching would be increased to take into account the seriousness of the offences and to achieve conformity with the standards in similar legislation such as the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act,(4) the Canada Wildlife Act(5) and the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994.(6) The new Act would create a new offence of "trafficking" to combat the increasing tendency to large-scale targeting and removal of natural resources in the national parks for the purpose of sale or barter. A new provision relating to multiple offences would also be added. Finally, the new Act would broaden the provisions of the existing Act relating to damage to the environment so that they would cover not only cultural resources but also natural resources. This would make it possible to recover the costs of repairing damage to both the natural environment and to resources such as archaeological sites.

In short, Bill C-70 concerns the following aspects of the creation and administration of national parks in Canada:

(a) provision of a procedure for the future establishment of new national parks and the enlargement of existing ones;

(b) addition of several new national parks and reserves and adjustment of the land descriptions of certain existing parks;

(c) enhancement of protection for wildlife and other park resources;

(d) provision for the continuation of traditional resource harvesting activities in keeping with comprehensive land claim agreements and federal-provincial agreements to establish parks;

(e) fixing of the boundaries of communities in national parks and restriction of commercial development in those communities;

(f) authorization of taxation of land, buildings and improvements for the support of community facilities and services in park communities;

(g) banning of the extension of the Banff model of local government to the town of Jasper; and

(h) miscellaneous technical and housekeeping amendments.

Finally, the bill would also make it possible to standardize the legislation governing the national parks in keeping with the proposed wording of Bill C-48 concerning marine conservation areas (now called marine parks under the amendments made to the National Parks Act). Its proposals also take into account those in the Parks Canada Agency Act, which received Royal Assent in December 1998.

DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS

   A. Short Title and Definitions (Clauses 1 and 2)

Clause 1 of the bill states that the short title of the Act would be the National Parks Act (hereinafter the Act). Clause 2 contains several definitions that would apply to the Act, some of which are essentially reproduced from the existing National Parks Act. Others are substantially amended or simply new additions.

First, "enforcement officer" would mean a person designated under section 20 or belonging to a class of persons so designated. This provision would empower the Minister of Canadian Heritage to designate as an enforcement officer an employee of the federal public service or of a provincial, municipal or local authority whose duties included law enforcement. The task of these officers would be to ensure compliance with certain provisions of the Act and the regulations applying to specific parks. To this end, they would enjoy the powers and protection provided for peace officers, under the law within the meaning of the Criminal Code.

Clause 2 specifically identifies the seven communities located within the national parks, namely:

(a) the visitor centre of Field in Yoho National Park;

(b) the town of Banff in Banff National Park;

(c) the visitor centre of Lake Louise in Banff National Park;

(d) the visitor centre of Waterton in Waterton Lakes National Park;

(e) the town of Jasper in Jasper National Park;

(f) the visitor centre of Waskesiu in Prince Albert National Park; and

(g) the visitor centre of Wasagaming in Riding Mountain National Park.

"Superintendent" would mean an officer appointed under the Public Service Employment Act(7) who held the office of superintendent of a park or of a national historic site to which the Act applied; the term would include any person appointed under the Act who was authorized by such an officer to act on the officer’s behalf. Note that under clause 51(1) of Bill C-70, the definition of "superintendent" would be amended as follows: Public Service Employment Act would be replaced with Parks Canada Agency Act; this change would take place on the coming into force of section 55 of the Parks Canada Agency Act (chapter 31 of the Statutes of Canada 1998) and the coming into force of section 47 of the new Act, whichever was later. The powers of the superintendent would be defined in clause 16(3) of the bill.

"Park warden" would mean a person designated under clause 19. This provision would empower the Minister responsible for parks to designate as a park warden any person appointed under the Public Service Employment Act whose duties included the enforcement of the Act. Park wardens would ensure compliance with the Act and the regulations and would maintain public peace in parks. To carry out these duties, they would be peace officers within the meaning of the Criminal Code.(8)

The "Minister" responsible for national parks would be the member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada designated by the Governor in Council for the purposes of the Act.(9) "Park" would mean a national park or a national marine park named and described in Schedule 1 and "park reserve" would mean a national park reserve or a national marine park reserve(10) named and described in Schedule 2. Finally, "public lands" would mean lands, including submerged lands, that belonged to Her Majesty in right of Canada or that the Government of Canada had the power to dispose of, whether or not such disposal was subject to the terms of any agreement between the Government of Canada and the government of a province.

   B. Her Majesty and National Parks (Clauses 3 to 7)

Clause 3 of the bill provides that the Act would be binding on Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province, which means that both the federal and the provincial Crowns would be subject to the Act. Clause 4(1) essentially repeats and updates the wording of section 4 of the National Parks Act of 1930 and sets out the objectives of creating and dedicating national parks. It accordingly reiterates that national parks are dedicated to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment and must be maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations. The same would be true, under clause 4(2), of park reserves where an area or a portion of an area proposed for a park was subject to an Aboriginal claim that had been accepted for negotiation by the Government of Canada under its comprehensive land claims policy.

Clauses 5 to 7 describe the procedure for establishing, enlarging and amending national parks and park reserves. In future these protected lands would be created by order in council rather than by the enactment of new legislation amending the Schedule to the National Parks Act. This means that the Governor in Council could amend Schedule 1 to the Act by an order in council adding the name and description of the park or park reserve or changing the description, provided the Governor in Council was satisfied that Her Majesty in right of Canada had clear title to or an unencumbered right of ownership in the lands and the government of the province in which the lands was situated agreed to their use for this purpose. Following the settlement of any land claim referred to in clause 4(2), the same procedure would apply to any transfer to Schedule 1 of the description of a park reserve appearing in Schedule 2. It should be noted that the Governor in Council could not amend either Schedule 1 in order to reduce the area of a park, or Schedule 2 in order to remove any portion of a park reserve (clauses 5(2) and 6(3)).

Clause 7 would require the Governor in Council, before amending Schedules 1 and 2 under clauses 5 and 6, to table the proposed amendment in each House of Parliament along with a report on the objectives and the administration of the area or reserve in question. The proposal and the report would be referred to the committee of each House that normally considers such matters or to any other committee designated by the House (clause 7(1)). The committee could report its disapproval of the amendment back to the House within 21 sitting days. Clauses 7(2) and (3) prescribe the procedure for any debate on the report. If no report were made within this time or if any report submitted were rejected, the amendment would be made (clause 7(4)). On the other hand, if either House passed a motion to disapprove it, the amendment could not be made (clause 7(5)).

   C. Administration of the National Parks (Clauses 8 to 12)

Under clause 8, the Minister would be responsible for the administration, management and control of parks, including the administration of any public lands in parks. Clause 9 provides that powers in relation to land use, community planning and development in park communities could not be exercised by a local government body, except as provided in an agreement concluded under clause 36. This provision would effectively make an exception for the town limits of Banff in Banff National Park, to allow the Governor in Council to authorize the Minister to conclude an agreement with the Government of Alberta for establishing an independent local government body.

Under clause 10(1), it would be possible for the Minister to conclude agreements with federal and provincial ministers and agencies, local and Aboriginal governments and non-governmental organizations for carrying out the purposes of the Act. The Minister could also conclude agreements with any person concerning hydro-electric power services for use in a park and with a local government body or any person for the supply of water (clause 10(2)). Finally, agreements concluded with provincial ministers or agencies could authorize the use of public lands in a park but could be terminated if the lands in question ceased to be used as authorized (clause 10(3)).

Within five years after a park was established, the Minister would be required to establish -- and to review every five years -- a management plan for the park, including provision for resource protection, zoning and visitor use with a view to maintaining ecological integrity and protecting natural resources. This plan and any subsequent amendments would have to be tabled in each House of Parliament (clause 11).

Clause 12 provides that the Minister would have to provide opportunities for public participation at the national, regional and local levels in the development of parks policy, the establishment of parks, the formulation of management plans(11) and any other matters the Minister considered relevant. Moreover, at least every two years, the Minister would have to have tabled in each House of Parliament a report on the state of the parks and the progress made towards the establishment of new parks.

   D. Administration of Park Lands (Clauses 13 to 15)

Clause 13 would prohibit the disposal, use or occupation of public lands in a park or the granting of any real right or interest in these lands except as permitted by the Act or the regulations. Under clause 14, the Governor in Council could, by regulation, declare any area of a park that existed in a natural state, or that was capable of returning to a natural state, to be a wilderness area by prohibiting all activities likely to impair its wilderness character. The minister could, however, subject to any conditions he or she considered necessary, authorize activities to be carried out in a wilderness area for purposes of: park administration; public safety; the provision of basic user facilities including trails and rudimentary campsites; carrying out any actions in accordance with regulations made under clause 18 and covering traditional practices; or accessing remote parts of the wilderness area by air (clause 14(3)).

Clause 15(1) would permit the Minister to enter into leases of, and easements or servitudes over, public lands in a park that are used for the rights-of-way or which are required for any alteration to or deviation from a right-of-way for other purposes (railways or railway stations, oil or gas pipelines, telecommunication or electrical transmission lines, telecommunication, weather, and other scientific monitoring stations). The public lands leased in this way or subject to easements would continue to form part of the park and would revert to the Crown if they ceased to be used for that purpose (clause 15(3)). The Minister would also retain the power to terminate a lease, easement or licence of occupation of public lands in a park and accept the relinquishment of a licence, easement or servitude (clause 15(2)). Finally, under clause 15(4), Her Majesty in right of Canada could not expropriate real rights or interests in lands for the purpose of establishing or enlarging a park.

   E. National Parks Regulations (Clauses 16 to 18)

Clause 16(1) would authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations concerning various aspects of the control and management of the national parks. These regulations could concern:

  • the preservation, control and management of parks, including anything relating to buildings, roads, works and public services;
  • the protection of flora, soil, waters, fossils, natural features, air quality and cultural, historical and archaeological resources, as well as the acquisition and transfer of prehistoric or historic objects or reproductions of them and the sale of publications, souvenirs and consumer articles;
  • the protection of fauna and the destruction or removal of dangerous or superabundant fauna as well as the taking of specimens for scientific or propagation purposes;
  • the management and regulation of fishing;
  • the prevention and remedying of any obstruction or pollution of waterways;
  • the issuance, amendment and termination of leases, licences of occupation and easements or servitudes, and the acceptance of the surrender or resiliation of leases and the relinquishment of easements or servitudes and licences of occupation of or over public lands;
  • the restriction of activities and the control of the use of park resources and facilities;
  • public safety and the preservation of public health and the prevention of disease; the abatement and prevention of nuisances and fires; the inspection of buildings, structures, facilities and other improvements;
  • the determination of fees to be collected and the maximum amounts of fines provided for in clause 25(2);
  • the use, transportation and temporary storage of pesticides and other toxic substances;
  • the control of domestic animals, including the impounding or destruction of strays;
  • the authorization of the use of park lands and the use or removal of flora and other natural objects by Aboriginal peoples for traditional spiritual and ceremonial purposes;
  • the control of access to parks by air;
  • the summary removal from a park of persons found committing offences against certain provisions of the Act, the regulations or the Criminal Code.

Clause 16(2) provides that the establishment or use of any improvement referred to in paragraph 16(1)(j) would not operate to withdraw lands from a park. Under clause 16(3), the superintendent of a park could (a) vary any requirement of the regulations for purposes of public safety or the conservation of natural resources in the park; (b) issue, amend, suspend and revoke permits, licences and other authorizations relating to these subjects and to set their terms and conditions; and (c) order the taking of any action to counter any threat to public health or to remedy the consequences of any breach of the park regulations

Clause 17 lays down the rules governing taxation and property tax that would be applicable to the lands in national parks. Thus, the Governor in Council could make regulations to levy taxes on residents of a park or on rights or interests in lands in a park to be applied to the cost of various services and improvements (clause 17(1)(a) and (b)). Similarly, the Governor in Council could also regulate the sale or forfeiture of lands and rights or interests in lands for non-payment of taxes (clause 17(1)(c)), as well as the property tax payable on lands in the communities and those subject to a lease or licence of occupation (clause 17(2)). Clauses 17(3) and (4) would make it possible to set various conditions for the application and collection of property taxes.

Clauses 18(1) and (2) would permit the Governor in Council to make regulations respecting the exercise of traditional harvesting of renewable resources in Wood Buffalo, Wapusk, Gros Morne National Parks and any park established in the District of Thunder Bay, Ontario. This could also apply to any park created on territory where the exercise of these activities was provided for in an agreement on the establishment of the park between the Government of Canada and a provincial government or where an agreement for the settlement of an Aboriginal land claim provided for the exercise of traditional renewable resource harvesting or the removal of stone for carving purposes. Regulations could be made pursuant to clauses 18(1) and (2). The regulations could prohibit the use of renewable resources taken from parks for purposes other than the exercise of these traditional activities (clause 18((3)(c)); close areas of the park to traditional harvesting of renewable resources (clause 18((3)(f)(i)); establish limits on the renewable resources that could be harvested in any period or vary any such limits established by the regulations (clause 18(3)(f)(ii)) for purposes of conservation; and prohibit or restrict the use of equipment in the park for the purpose of protecting natural resources (clause 18(3)(f)(iii)). It would still be possible for the superintendent of a national park to vary the requirements of the regulations made under this section in the circumstances described and to the extent they provided for purposes of public safety or the conservation of natural resources in the park (clause 18(5)).

   F. Enforcement of the Act (Clauses 19 to 24)

Clauses 19 to 24 include the provisions governing the designation of park wardens and their duties in enforcing the Act. The designation of park wardens (clause 19) and enforcement officers (clause 20) was considered earlier under Section "A. Short Title and Definitions." Clause 21 describes the oath that would be sworn by wardens and enforcement officers and the certificate of designation specifying the provisions of the Act or regulations that the enforcement officer would have the power to enforce, as well as the parks in which this power would apply.

The powers of park wardens and enforcement officers are set out in clauses 22 to 24; they would be able to:

  • arrest without warrant, in accordance with and subject to the Criminal Code, any person whom they found committing an offence under section 27 of the Act or any other Act in a park (clause 22);
  • enter and search and open and examine any package or receptacle in accordance with a warrant at any time during the day or night and seize any thing (clause 23(1)(a)) in relation to which an offence under the Act or regulations had been committed or that would afford evidence with respect to the commission of such an offence, to the extent that this was authorized by the justice of the peace by warrant (clause 23(2)).

A warrant by a warden or an enforcement officer could conduct a search without warrant where by reason of exigent circumstances, it would not be practical to obtain one and subject to any conditions specified in the warrant (clause 23(3)).

Clause 24 prescribes the conditions that would apply to the custody of the things seized. Clauses 29 and 30 would supplement these conditions for their forfeiture, restoration, retention or sale and disposal by the Minister.

   G. Offences and Punishment (Clauses 25 to 32)

Clauses 25 to 32 govern offences and punishment. First, clause 25 would mean that any person who breached clause 13 (disposal or use of public lands), clause 33(1) (clean-up of pollution following a spill or discharge of a pollutant), the regulations or the conditions of a licence, permit or other authorization would be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000. Any trafficking in wildlife, eggs, embryos, plant or other naturally occurring object as defined in clause 26(3) could result in a fine not exceeding $10,000 (clause 26). An act of poaching or trafficking in a species referred to in Part 1 of Schedule 3 could result in a fine not exceeding $150,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both, on summary conviction and a fine not exceeding $150,000 and imprisonment for not more than five years, following conviction on indictment (clauses 27(1) and (2)). In the case of a species referred to in Part 2 of Schedule 3, a person convicted on summary conviction would be sentenced to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both, while a person convicted on indictment would be liable to a fine not exceeding $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or to both (clause 27(4).

Clause 27(5) defines what is meant by the terms "wildlife," "hunt" and "possess" while clause 27(6) would authorize the Governor in Council to make regulations amending Part 1 or 2 of Schedule 3 by adding or deleting the name of any species of wild mammal, amphibian, reptile, bird, fish or invertebrate. Under clause 28, fines could be cumulative and offences involving more than one species could constitute separate offences for each species while offences taking place on more than one day could constitute separate offences for each day. In addition, the court could make an order imposing certain duties, for example prohibiting the person from engaging in certain activities or directing the person to repair the damage caused, compensate the Minister and so on (clause 31(1)).

   H. Mitigation of Damage to the Environment and Communities (Clauses 33 to 35)

Clause 33 would impose certain duties in cases involving a spill or discharge of a substance that harmed the environment. A person responsible for the substance or who spilt or discharged it, or who had contributed to the spill or discharge, would be required to take appropriate measures to prevent or mitigate the damage or the risk that might arise for the environment (clause 33(1)). The park superintendent and, failing this person, the Minister, could order the person responsible to take measures if he or she had failed to do so (clause 33(2)). If the person responsible failed to obey, the Minister could direct such measures to be taken on behalf of Her Majesty in right of Canada and the expenses recovered from the person responsible in appropriate proceedings (clause 33(3)).

Under clause 34, a community plan consistent with the management plan for the park and respecting the environment should be developed for each community identified in clause 2 and tabled in both Houses of Parliament. Furthermore, the community plan or zoning by-laws should include a description of the lands comprising the park community and the lands comprising the commercial zones and include a measure of the maximum floor area permitted within the commercial zones of the park community. The Governor in Council could add these items to Schedule 4 by order in council following the adoption of the Act but any subsequent amendment would be subject to the procedure for establishing and changing parks in clause 7 (clause 35).

   I. Provisions for Particular Parks and Park Reserves (Clauses 36 to 42)

Clauses 36 to 39 would apply to particular parks or to some of their components. Clause 36, which deals with the establishment of a local government body for the town of Banff, has been discussed above, in connection with clause 8. Clause 37(1) would have the effect of limiting the operation of commercial ski facilities to those set out in Schedule 5, in this instance the areas of Lake Louise and Mount Norquay (Banff Park), Marmot Basin (Jasper Park) and Agassiz Mountain (Riding Mountain Park). However, the Governor in Council could by order in council authorize the construction of ski areas in Banff National Park in a location near Sunshine Village, by adding a description of this area to Schedule 5; however, this Schedule could not be amended otherwise by the Governor in Council (clause  37(2)).

Clause 38 specifically concerns traditional activities of hunting, fishing and trapping by the Cree of Chipewyan in Wood Buffalo National Park. It would allow for the creation of a wildlife advisory board and the making of regulations and would define the traditional hunting grounds. Finally, under clause 39, the Governor in Council could amend or replace the description of Wood Buffalo National Park (area of Garden River) and Wapusk National Park by withdrawing any lands that might be required for purposes of land entitlement.

Clause 40 confirms that the Act would apply to park reserves as if they were national parks, bearing in mind the traditional Aboriginal harvesting of renewable resources (clause 41). The Governor in Council would be able to authorize the Minister to enter into an agreement with the Council of the Haida Nation concerning the management and operation of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, including the pursuit of traditional activities and the addition of new lands to Schedule 2, without considering the procedure in clause 7 (clause 42).

   J. National Historic Sites (Clause 43)

Clause 43 would allow the Governor in Council to designate any land belonging to Her Majesty in right of Canada as a national historic site in order to commemorate a historic event of national importance or to preserve a historic landmark or any object of historic, prehistoric or scientific interest that is of national importance. The Governor in Council could make any changes considered appropriate in areas set apart and, by order in council, extend the application of 8, 12, 16 and 18 to 33 to these national historic sites and, except with respect to zoning, clauses 11(1) and (2) of the Act.

   K. Repeals, Consequential Amendments and Conditional Amendments (Clauses 44 to 52)

Clauses 44 to 47 of Bill C-70 would have the effect of repealing the Act to amend the National Parks Act,(12) the Act to establish a National Park on the Mingan Archipelago,(13) the Act to amend the National Parks Act and to amend An Act to amend the National Parks Act(14) and the National Parks Act.(15) Section 8 of the Schedule to the Contraventions Act(16) and the heading before it (clause 48) as well as section 9 of Schedule III of An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act and other Acts in consequence thereof (17) and the heading before it (clause 49) would also be repealed. Finally, clause 50 would amend the definition of "national historic site" and "national park" in section 2 of the Parks Canada Agency Act(18) to bring them into line with the Act.

Clauses 51 and 52 of the bill refer to a series of amendments that would be conditional on the coming into force of the Parks Canada Agency Act when Bill C-48, relating to marine conservation areas, and Bill C-70 received Royal Assent. These amendments would apply essentially to the definitions of "superintendent," "park," and "reserve," and the designation of wardens and enforcement officers with a view to standardizing the provisions relating to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas in light of the functions of the new Parks Canada Agency.

   L. Coming into Force (Clause 53) and Schedules

On receiving Royal Assent, the National Parks Act would come into force on a date to be determined by order in council, as would the parts of Schedule 1 describing Wapusk, Aulavik and Gros Morne National Parks (clause 53).

It is also important to note that Bill C-70 includes five schedules, each of which deals with a separate aspect of the national parks system or its administration. The schedules are as follows:

Schedule 1:  Description of the boundaries of national parks (clauses 2, 5, 6, 7 and 39)

Schedule 2:  Description of the boundaries of national park reserves (clauses 2, 6, 7 and 42)

Schedule 3:  List of protected species in national parks (clause 27)

Schedule 4:  List of communities in national parks (clauses 34 and 35)

Schedule 5:  Description of commercial ski areas (clause 37)

COMMENTARY

Bill C-70 would help to update the legislation relating to national parks, something necessitated by the many amendments to the National Parks Act since it was first passed in 1930, to reflect changes in the concept of a national park and the enlargement of the Canadian system of protected spaces. Parliament has put forward a bill that should make it easier to create new national parks and to ensure that existing parks and any that are created in the future will be conserved and developed for all Canadians.

In several respects, the bill would provide continuity for the National Parks Act of 1930 and subsequent amendments. Thus, section 4 of the National Parks Act has always been considered the cornerstone of legislation relating to the creation and administration of the Canadian system of national parks. Bill C-70 follows this pattern, and, using more modern wording, repeats the actual essence of the present section 4. Thus the Act would continue to reflect the dual objectives of national parks: to protect in perpetuity sites that are representative of Canadian heritage and to permit the people of Canada to enjoy them. Although this dual objective seems contradictory to some people, the standards set out in Bill C-70 for the creation and administration of national parks should ensure that these goals are reconciled. We need only point out the provisions for the protection of fauna and flora in the parks and their environment generally, as well as the measures to control commercial development in the communities in the parks. Also, Bill C-70 would facilitate the creation of new parks, since in future this would require only an order in council amending the Act. The procedure for review by Parliament and the appropriate parliamentary committees would continue to apply.

The updating of the National Parks Act, combined with the tabling in the House of Commons of Bill C-48 concerning marine conservation areas and the establishment of the new Parks Canada Agency, should give the government of Canada the tools it requires to preserve and protect exceptional heritage sites in Canada. In fact, the government has maintained its objective of supplementing the national system of protected spaces in light of the new millennium.

To date, Bill C-70 has not given rise to any particular responses.


(1) R.S.C. (1985), ch. N-140.

(2) Canadian Heritage, "National Parks Legislation Tabled," Press Release and backgrounders, Ottawa, March 16, 1999 (may be accessed on the Canadian Heritage web site at http://www.pch.gc.ca/bin/News.dll/View?Lang=E&Code=8NR169E).

(3) An Act to amend the National Parks Act (1974) ch. 11 and An Act to amend the National Parks Act and to amendment an Act to amend the National Parks Act (1988), ch. 48.

(4) S.C. (1992), ch. 52.

(5) R.S.C. (1985), ch. W-9.

(6) R.S.C. (1985), Ch. M-7, S.C. (1994), ch. 22.

(7) R.S.C. (1985), ch. P-33.

(8) R.S.C. (1985), ch. C-46.

(9) It is interesting to see that the present Act, like Bill C-48 on marine conservation areas, specifically refers to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

(10) It should be noted that the term "marine park" would be changed by Bill C-48 on marine conservation areas.

(11) The French version of the bill refers to "plans directeurs" in clause 11 and "plans de gestion" here; the English version uses "management plans" in both cases.

(12) S.C. 1974, c. 11.

(13) S.C. 1984, c. 34.

(14) S.C. 1988, c. 48.

(15) R.S.C. (1985), c. N-14.

(16) S.C. 1992, c. 47.

(17) S.C. (1991), ch. 24.

(18) S.C. (1998), ch. 31.