The creation of Canada's national parks system has been deemed culturally "harmful" and a "colonial injustice" to Indigenous people, according to a recently released Parks Canada internal report.
The report, dated 2024 and released without comment on June 22, highlights the disruption of Indigenous relationships with land, water, and ice through the establishment of national parks. For millennia, Indigenous people have cultivated reciprocal relationships with their environment, guided by cultural practices, values, and knowledge systems.
The report notes that the development of national parks and protected areas in Canada forcibly removed Indigenous people from their homes, denied them access to traditional territories, and prohibited them from hunting and harvesting on park lands. This legacy of colonialism has caused historic and ongoing harm for Indigenous communities.
Parks Canada acknowledges this harmful historical legacy and its impact on Indigenous language, culture, laws, and governance systems. The report outlines $61.7 million over four years to support the development of new or enhanced partner-led programs emphasizing Indigenous themes in national parks.
Examples of these programs include an undisclosed grant to the Tsuut'ina Nation to conduct a ceremonial harvest of bison in Banff, which was completed in 2024 under an Indigenous-led pilot project called the Indigenous Advisory Circle. The first ceremonial bison hunt in Banff was a meaningful experience for officials from Blackfoot, Tsuut'ina, Stoney Nakoda, and Métis communities in Alberta.
A 2019 report proposed that all federal observances address issues of colonialism, patriarchy, and racism nationwide. The National Historic Sites and Monuments Board, a Parks Canada agency, also wrote that every designation can be re-evaluated, highlighting the need for a careful review of existing designations.
