Parks Canada and Mi'kmaq reach agreement on new national park

Last year, Parks Canada set a goal of adding 10 new national parks by 2030. As of this week, it has nine more to go.

What happened: The Pituamkek National Park Reserve in PEI has become Canada’s newest national park after the feds reached an agreement with the province’s Mi’kmaq First Nations. Located on PEI’s northwest shore, the area is known for its coastal sand dunes.

• Park status ensures the protection of this culturally significant region with its delicate dune ecosystem and endangered species. It also opens up the region for tourism.

Why it matters: Canada’s national parks are a major driver of tourism. In the 2022-23 fiscal year, Parks Canada generated $3.3 billion in visitor spending from both domestic travellers looking for a weekend escape and international ones lured by Canada’s vast wilderness.

• Nature-based tourism continues to be popular, and Canada is well-positioned to capitalize. Last year, Parks Canada signed an agreement with Destination Canada to collaborate on travel growth.

Yes, but: Canada’s less-famous parks will have to pick up some slack. Big-name parks like Banff and Jasper, which account for an outsized proportion of visits, are seeing crowds so large that they’re potentially compromising Parks Canada’s main goal: conservation.

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