Indigenous Stewardship Policy

In several places, Parks Canada’s past actions have severed or altered Indigenous Peoples’ long-standing relationships and sacred responsibilities for the lands, water and ice. These relationships and responsibilities have determined Indigenous Peoples’ identities and influenced their cultures and languages for thousands of years.

In collaboration with a diverse group of Indigenous leaders, Parks Canada developed a policy to better support Indigenous stewardship at places Parks Canada plays a role in administering. The Indigenous Stewardship Policy reflects what Indigenous Peoples have said is needed to strengthen Indigenous connections with protected lands, waters and ice within their traditional territories, treaty lands and ancestral homelands. At its core, the intent of the policy is to advance reconciliation and support implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The policy was approved by the Minister and adopted in ceremony by the Indigenous Stewardship Circle in October 2024.