Officials from Parks Canada aren’t saying much about the new environment minister. Yet.

Rona Ambrose, a second-term Member of Parliament representing Edmonton - Spruce Grove was appointed to that position by incoming Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Monday (February 6). Ambrose has little previous experience in the area, having served as opposition critic on intergovernmental affairs and international trade.

There were other options for Harper, including long-time Red Deer MP Bob Mills, who had served as environment critic since 2001. A Parks spokesperson wouldn’t comment at length about the PM’s choice for the job.

“We cannot take for granted what the vision of the new minister will be,” said Nicole Rochette, who works in communications for Parks Canada’s national office.

The agency is likewise cautious about identifying its priorities and issues of concern right away. They plan to provide the new minister with that information through an update of their corporate plan. Until then, questions about infrastructure, ecological integrity and even the expansion of the parks system are met with little substance.

“We cannot say until we have a chance to present our priorities to her,” Rochette said. The corporate plan is a five-year planning document that should be submitted to Ambrose by sometime next month. Rochette offered no further information about the process of developing the plan or its contents, but a quick look at the 2004/2005 plan reveals a focus on several issues that are significant to Jasper National Park. Not the least prominent of these is the concern over long-term infrastructure funding and asset preservation across the country. The previous Liberal government made a multi-year funding commitment for infrastructure spending, to the tune of $209 million over five years. Of this, Jasper is expected to receive $6.8 million. Another incremental increase committed to by the prior administration was an overall increase in the annual Parks budget, up to $75 million per annum by 2010.

The corporate plan also reflects Parks current efforts to ensure that it engages as many Canadians as possible in its planning processes and reflects the desires and needs of the country.

“Parks Canada will only be successful in safeguarding these national treasures for future generations if we are successful in fully engaging Canadians and have more and more Canadians share the passion and commitment to protecting and presenting Canada’s natural and cultural heritage,” wrote Parks Canada CEO Alan Latourelle in the plan. Within this commitment to greater engagement is a particular focus on bringing aboriginal groups into the process more thoroughly. 

Another key area within the existing plan is a strategy regarding the expansion and eventual completion of the parks system in Canada. The government mandated that Parks “move towards the creation” of ten new national parks and five new national marine conservation areas over the next five years.

While Parks is clarifying its own priorities, the new minister might not have Parks at the top of her to-do list. The Conservative election platform primarily focused on greenhouse gas emissions and a proposed “made in Canada” solution rather than the Kyoto Accord. In a comparative analysis of the party’s election platforms, the Sierra Club of Canada noted that the Conservatives made more than a dozen distinct policy commitments with regard to clean air, energy conservation and other Kyoto-related areas. That stands in sharp contrast to policies directly referring to Parks Canada, of which there were none. As part of their analysis, the Sierra Club asked party representatives a series of questions, including one on protecting the ecological integrity of existing Parks and the proposed expansion to the system. 

“A Conservative government would be committed to Canada’s National Park system,” the responder wrote. “We consider it paramount to ensure that parks already designated get proper attention and funding before we designate any new parks as part of our national system.”

As for Ambrose herself, the minister is busy adjusting to her new responsibilities, according to her press secretary, and has been inundated with media requests since her appointment.

“She’s travelling a lot over the next while, and she’s just getting her staff settled,” said Ryan Sparrow.