• 11. (1) The Minister shall, within five years after a park is established, prepare a management plan for the park containing a long-term ecological vision for the park, a set of ecological integrity objectives and indicators and provisions for resource protection and restoration, zoning, visitor use, public awareness and performance evaluation, which shall be tabled in each House of Parliament.

• (2) The Minister shall review the management plan for each park every five years, and any amendments to a plan shall be tabled with the plan in each House of Parliament.

• 12. (1) The Minister shall, where applicable, provide opportunities for public participation at the national, regional and local levels, including participation by aboriginal organizations, bodies established under land claims agreements and representatives of park communities, in the development of parks policy and regulations, the establishment of parks, the formulation of management plans, land use planning and development in relation to park communities and any other matters that the Minister considers relevant.

• (2) At least every two years, the Minister shall cause to be tabled in each House of Parliament a report on the state of the parks and on progress made towards the establishment of new parks.

13. Except as permitted by this Act or the regulations,

• (a) no public lands or right or interest in public lands in a park may be disposed of; and

• (b) no person shall use or occupy public lands in a park.

• 14. (1) The Governor in Council may, by regulation, declare any area of a park that exists in a natural state or that is capable of returning to a natural state to be a wilderness area.

• (2) The Minister may not authorize any activity to be carried on in a wilderness area that is likely to impair the wilderness character of the area.

• (3) Notwithstanding subsection (2) but subject to any conditions that the Minister considers necessary, the Minister may authorize activities to be carried on in a wilderness area for purposes of

  • (a) park administration;

  • (b) public safety;

  • (c) the provision of basic user facilities including trails and rudimentary campsites;

  • (d) the carrying on of activities in accordance with regulations made under section 17; or

  • (e) access by air to remote parts of the wilderness area.

• (4) Where a new or amended management plan sets out an area of a park for declaration as a wilderness area, the Minister shall recommend such declaration to the Governor in Council within one year after the plan or amendment is tabled under section 11.