Canada National Parks Act (S.C. 2000, c. 32)

17. (1) The Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the exercise of traditional renewable resource harvesting activities in

• (a) Wood Buffalo National Park of Canada;

• (b) Wapusk National Park of Canada;

• (c) Gros Morne National Park of Canada;

• (d) any national park of Canada established in the District of Thunder Bay in the Province of Ontario;

• (e) Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve of Canada; and

• (f) any national park of Canada established in an area where the continuation of such activities is provided for by an agreement between the Government of Canada and the government of a province respecting the establishment of the park.

(2) Where an agreement for the settlement of an aboriginal land claim that is given effect by an Act of Parliament makes provision for traditional renewable resource harvesting activities or stone removal activities for carving purposes within any area of a park, or where aboriginal people have existing aboriginal or treaty rights to traditional renewable resource harvesting activities within any area of a park, the Governor in Council may make regulations respecting the carrying on of those activities in that area.

(3) Regulations made under subsection (1) or (2) may

• (a) specify what are traditional renewable resource harvesting activities;

• (b) designate categories of persons authorized to engage in those activities and prescribe the conditions under which they may engage in them;

• (c) prohibit the use of renewable resources harvested in parks for other than traditional purposes;

• (d) control traditional renewable resource harvesting activities;

• (e) authorize the removal and disposal of any equipment or harvested resources left in a park in contravention of the regulations, and provide for the recovery of expenses incurred in their removal and disposal; and

• (f) notwithstanding anything in this subsection, authorize the superintendent of a park

  • (i) to close areas of the park to traditional renewable resource harvesting activities for purposes of park management, public safety or the conservation of natural resources,

  • (ii) to establish limits on the renewable resources that may be harvested in any period, or to vary any such limits established by the regulations, for purposes of conservation, and

  • (iii) to prohibit or restrict the use of equipment in the park for the purpose of protecting natural resources.

(4) In regulations made under subsection (2), subsection (3) may be applied to the removal of stone for carving purposes.

(5) Regulations made under this section may authorize the superintendent of a park, in the circumstances described and to the extent provided in the regulations, to vary any requirement of the regulations for purposes of public safety or the conservation of natural resources in the park.