This year, the government announced free admission to Canada’s parks and museums for the summer. Employees at national parks, museums, and historic sites are working hard under the threat of job cuts, overwork and extreme weather conditions to make it a reality for people across the country. 

The summer months are already the high season for Parks Canada workers who work long hours in the heat, sun, wind, and rain to take care of our national parks and the visitors coming to see them. Sites are already seeing massive increases in visitor numbers, like Green Gables Heritage Place in PEI.  

Additionally, this announcement means that Parks Canada’s fees are suspended at the peak time for Parks Canada’s revenue, without any plan to subsidize for this loss of money.  

Free admission to museums is also driving visitor numbers up to these locations across the country. More staff are needed to process the influx of admissions, run programs for children, and keep long lines moving.  

More people visiting parks and museums is good news, but the government announced the Canada Strong Pass without any increase in hiring or funding for the eligible sites. Workers are forced to do more, with less – fewer resources, less staff, and less support.  

Public service workers and people in Canada are again the ones who end up paying for a government’s lack of planning. 

In June, the government announced the Canada Strong Pass. Not even one month later, Prime Minister Carney’s government announced widespread budget cuts to public services – leaving detrimental cuts to Parks Canada on the table.  

It’s contradictory to emphasize the importance of boosting tourism while threatening to defund the people who take care of Canada’s top sight-seeing destinations.  

This government needs to back up its words with action and commit to protecting the public services and workers who keep our parks, museums and historic sites safe, beautiful and accessible to everyone.