March 18, 2005
Mr. Alan Latourelle
Chief Executive Officer
Parks Canada Agency
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 0M5
Dear Sir:
At the end of the recent Minister's Round Table, I had an opportunity
to express my satisfaction with the progress made toward a conservation
culture at Parks Canada, particularly with respect to implementation
of the recommendations of the Panel on the Ecological Integrity of Canada's
National Parks and the action plan that the Agency established for itself.
I wanted to salute the work of the whole Parks Canada team and the
leadership that you provide.
I also wanted to point out the challenges that the Agency is now facing,
including three that I consider major:
- Holding firm: This conservation culture must be firmly established
throughout the organization and must remain fundamental, regardless
of the vagaries of the moment.
- Doing a lot with a little: Even though we all welcomed the budget
increases, which do give us cause to rejoice, there will always be
more to do than there will be resources available. It will always
be necessary to innovate, prioritize and emphasize the actions that
will have the most impact in the long term.
- Promoting, both within and outside the Agency, with employees,
visitors and the public, ecological integrity of the parks as a positive
and constructive goal for raising all Canadians' awareness of
and interest in the need to protect our parks now and in the future,
for their enjoyment by present and future generations of Canadians.
Congratulations on what has been accomplished so far. I wish you every
success in the work to come.
359 Mountbatten Ottawa, Ontario K1H 5W2