Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the hon. member for Kootenay—Columbia for the question and for his interest in Gatineau Park.
Gatineau Park is a stunning natural conservation area located just minutes from the centre of our nation's capital. As the Prime Minister has said, the park's trails, forests, and lakes are truly a jewel of the capital region. With its diverse ecosystems and heritage features, Gatineau Park is a prime destination that attracts some 2.6 million visitors each year.
Conservation and preservation have been a top priority ever since Gatineau Park was created. The National Capital Commission works with all stakeholders in order to ensure that the park's resources are conserved while offering visitors environmentally friendly recreational experiences.
Gatineau Park's management plan, which was prepared by the NCC, establishes a vision of the park as a protected natural space managed mainly for conservation purposes. Recreation is secondary. Gatineau Park is the capital's conservation park.
As a result of this approach, all publicly held lands within Gatineau Park are reserved for park purposes. Any public infrastructure development is very carefully considered, with the overall goal of enhancing the conservation of the park's ecological integrity and cultural resources.
Furthermore, whenever possible, the NCC usually acquires privately owned properties located within the park boundaries for conservation reasons. In 2008, there were 405 private properties in Gatineau Park, covering an area of about 600 hectares. Since then, in accordance with its conservation goals for the park, the NCC has acquired more than a third of those properties. Today, there are just 344 private properties in the park, covering only 386 hectares.
The results of this emphasis on conservation have been positive. The 2016-17 “Report on Gatineau Park Ecosystems” found that the overall condition of the park is “good” and that this condition is stable. This is a clear improvement since the 2006 report, which found the park's condition to be “acceptable”.
As for the boundary issue, Gatineau Park has very clear and well-defined boundaries. They were officially established by the NCC's board of directors in 1997. In 2008, they were approved by the government as a legal basis for any future land acquisition by the NCC within the park. The organization manages the park based on those long-term boundaries.
To build on the successes achieved since 2005, the NCC is currently renewing the Gatineau Park master plan. Involving broad consultations with the public, local municipalities, the conservation community, user groups, and other stakeholder groups, the review process provides an opportunity to take the plan forward into the 21st century and preserve the health and integrity of the park for future generations.