Introduction to Parks Canada

National Park System Plan

  • 37 National Parks

  • 10 National Park Reserves

    representing 31 of Canada’s 39 terrestrial natural regions. These wild places, located in every province and territory, range from mountains and plains, to boreal forests and tundra, to lakes and glaciers, and beyond. National parks protect the habitats, wildlife, and ecosystem diversity representative of these natural regions. Parks Canada is responsible for protecting these areas, and for managing them for visitors to understand, appreciate, and enjoy in a way that doesn't compromise their ecological integrity.

    National Park System Plan identifies each of Canada’s 39 unique natural regions. The aim is to protect a representative sample of each of these landscapes. This framework has helped guide the expansion of the parks system for decades.

Source: Parks Canada official website https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np

What is a national park reserve?

A national park reserve is an area that is managed like a national park but is subject to one or more Indigenous land claims. These land claims are being negotiated between the federal and Indigenous governments. Indigenous peoples continue to use the land for traditional hunting, fishing, and trapping. The Canada National Park Act applies to the national park reserve and provides the same protections to those of national parks. The resolution of the land claims finalizes the boundaries and establishment conditions, and the national park reserve can be brought under the Canada National Parks Act as a national park.

Map of national parks and national park reserves in Canada

This is a map of the country of Canada, divided into provinces, territories, and natural regions. The general purpose of this map is to identify the 39 terrestrial regions of Canada including whether or not they are presently represented by a national park or national park reserve.

Link to the high resolution format: https://pcweb2.azureedge.net/-/media/wet4/pn-np/pn-np-plan/np-natural-regions-under-rep-en-jun2022-high-res.png

List of National Par ks

Alberta

Banff National Park

Elk Island national Park

Jasper national Park

Waterton Lakes National Park

Nova Scotia

Cape Breton Highlands National Park

Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site

Sable Island National Park Reserve

Yukon Territory

Ivvavik National Park

Kluane National Park Reserve

Vuntut National Park

British Columbia

Glacier National Park

Gulf Islands National Park Reserve

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve

Kootenay National park

Mount Revelstoke National Park

Pacific Rim National Park Reserve

Yoho National Park

Nunavut Territory

Auyuittuq National Park

Qausuittuq National Park

Quttinirpaaq National Park

Sirmilik National Park

Ukkusiksalik National Park

Manitoba

Riding Mountain National Park

Wapusk National Park

Ontario

Bruce Peninsula National Park

Georgian Bay Islands National Park

Point Pelee National Park

Pukaskwa National Park

Rouge National Urban Park

Thousand Islands National Park

New Brunswick

Fundy National Park

Kouchibouguac National Park

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island National Park

Newfoundland and Labrador

Akami-Uapishk-KakKasuak-Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve

Gros Morne National Park

Terra Nova National Park

Torngat Mountains National Park

Quebec

Forillon National Park

La Mauricie National Park

Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve

Northwest Territories

Aulavik National Park

Nahanni National Park Reserve

Nááts'ihch'oh National Park Reserve

Thaidene Nene National Park Reserve

Tuktut Nogait National Park

Wood Buffalo National Park

Saskatchewan

Grasslands National Park

Prince Albert National Park

National Marine Conservation Areas

Protecting and conserving representative marine areas for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people of Canada and the world.

There are currently 5 national marine conservation areas (NMCAs) in Canada. They represent 6 of the 29 marine regions identified in the NMCA system plan, and protect approximately 123,490 square kilometers of Canada’s marine and freshwater ecosystems in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans and the Great Lakes. In 2021 Parks Canada committed to establishing 10 new marine and four new freshwater NMCAs in the next five years, working with Indigenous communities on co-management agreements for these NMCAs.

https://parks.canada.ca/amnc-nmca

National Historic Sites

There are 1004 national historic sites in Canada, located in every Canadian province and territory. 171 of these are administered by Parks Canada.

National historic sites can be found in almost any setting, from rural and urban to wilderness; they may be sacred spaces, archaeological sites, battlefields, heritage houses, historic districts, places of scientific discovery, and much more.

These sites allow us to learn more about Canadian history, including the diverse cultural communities who make up Canada, and the history and culture of Indigenous peoples.

For a full list National Historic Site Designations, please check this link https://parks.canada.ca/culture/~/link.aspx?_id=B62C064F75B34E10B9C070A5F1A7380E&_z=z

National Program for Ecological Corridors

Ecological corridors are areas of land and water that aim to maintain or restore ecological connectivity. They do this by allowing species to move, and natural processes to flow freely across large landscapes.

There are three main types of ecological corridors:

  1. Linear: Unbroken strips of habitat.

  2. Stepping Stone: Small, scattered patches of habitat.

  3. Landscape: An uninterrupted patchwork of landscape features.

List of National Marine Conservation Area

British Columbia:

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve

Ontario:

Fathom Five National Marine Park

Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area

Quebec:

Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park

Nunavut:

Tallurutiup Image National Marine Conservation Area

Map of national Marine Conservation Areas, National Marine Conservation Area Reserves, National Marine Parks

National Urban Parks

Parks Canada is collaborating with partners, including Indigenous peoples, to create a network of national urban parks in Canada’s large urban centers.

Each national urban park will be unique and created through partnerships. Together, these parks will create a network with a shared vision of conserving nature, connecting people with nature and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Rouge National Urban Park is the first national urban park in Canada.