Parks Canada “colonialism” apology tour to begin in Jasper

The Liberal government is rolling out a formal Indigenous apology tour at national parks across Canada beginning with the wildfire-ravaged Jasper National Park. 

As part of its nationwide initiative to redress what the Liberals call Parks Canada’s history of “colonial policies,” a total of 27 national parks have been flagged for formal place-based apologies. 

Jasper National Park was supposed to be the first heritage site to issue such an apology coinciding with the opening of the new Jasper Indigenous Exhibit, an outdoor interpretive display near the Jasper Information Centre on Sept. 7 and 8, 2024. 

However, the exhibit’s grand opening event was delayed by the devastating 2024 Jasper wildfire which ravaged 30% of the town, causing $880 million in insurance damage and burning an estimated 32,722 hectares of land. 

Although the exhibit was untouched by the fire, Parks Canada had shut down the site until further notice. 

Documents obtained by True North via an access to information request show that Parks Canada is preparing “place-based apologies” for each site where its past actions have affected Indigenous peoples.

The documents show that the department under the direction of Environment and Parks Minister Steven Guilbeault remains committed to the apology campaign, with dozens of parks, including Banff National Park, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and Cape Breton Highlands National Park, identified as future sites for apologies. 

True North contacted Parks Canada for clarification but did not receive a response by the deadline.

A February 7, 2024, document titled “Parks Canada Guidance: Place-based Apologies and Redress” underscores the Liberal government’s rationale behind the initiative.

“Parks Canada and its predecessor organizations have had a long history of employing colonial policies and practices to establish protected heritage places with varying consequences for Indigenous peoples,” the document states.

This apology initiative is part of the Liberal government’s broader action plan to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, specifically Action Plan Measure 110. 

This measure calls for coordinated acknowledgements, apologies and actions in response to the supposed historic harms caused by the establishment and operation of heritage sites administered by Parks Canada.

As part of the UNDRIP Act, Parks Canada is mandated to co-develop site-specific apologies with Indigenous nations, and the agency has even committed to further implementing redress-related actions.