Parks Canada (Parks Canada Agency) is one of Canada’s premier institutions responsible, on behalf of the people of Canada, for protecting and presenting nationally significant examples of Canada’s environmental and cultural heritage, and fostering public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations.
The Agency ensures the effective management of one of the world’s premier national parks systems, Canada’s National Marine Conservation Areas and many of the country’s most iconic National Historic Sites. As well, Parks Canada Agency ensures that the historical narratives that the Agency uses in all of its places are reflective of the full range of contributors, participants and perspectives, and that they create the appropriate space for those communities tell their stories.
The Parks Canada Agency plays a lead role in ensuring that Canada protects and preserves its heritage places and cultural resources by working with other federal departments, province s, territories, Indigenous governments, communities, and stakeholders. The Agency ensures support for the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, particularly in shaping an effective, inclusive and widely supported approach to address cases where the previous recognition of historic events and persons raises questions from a modern perspective. The Agency is committed to providing a focal point in the federal government to advance policies and initiatives that enhance pride in Canada, protect Canada’s heritage, contribute to Canada’s economic growth and prosperity, ensure access to Canadian voices and Canadian spaces, encourage participation and contribution to Canadian society in general.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is accountable to the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change for providing corporate leadership in defining, articulating and advancing the Agency’s mandate and for providing strategic leadership, direction and oversight for the effective stewardship, renewal and growth of Parks Canada Agency within the context of a statutory human resources and financial management regime.
The CEO leads a multidisciplinary team of some 4,500 full-time equivalent staff translating into over 7,000 employees who have one of the broadest ranges of skill sets in the federal public service, including: scientists, archeologists, historians, engineers, conservators, avalanche control experts, commercial real estate specialists, forest fire and emergency response teams, an armed law enforcement service, indigenous partnership specialists and visitor experience professionals.
The CEO ensures that Parks Canada’s work with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in the operation of all of Parks Canada’s places achieves practical and meaningful reconciliation, both in areas where land claims are in place and in areas where these issues have yet to be resolved.
The Parks Canada Agency is a national leader in ecosystem protection, management and restoration and commits to improving the ecological quality of our protected natural and cultural heritage areas by putting a special emphasis on actively restoring or stabilizing key ecosystems.
The CEO ensures the development of recovery strategies for species at risk in compliance with the Species at Risk Act and will demonstrate federal leadership for land use management and species recovery through an active program of implementation and restoration.
The CEO promotes an increased public awareness of the work of Parks Canada in conservation and in the appreciation of protected places through public engagement campaigns, outreach to Canadians, and promotional activities. Additionally the CEO plays an important role within the Environment portfolio in ensuring that Canada achieves its international biodiversity goals under Canada Target 1 for protecting its terrestrial and marine resources by working with provinces, territories, Indigenous governments and communities, and with a broad new range of partnerships.
The CEO maintains effective working relationships with other federal departments and agencies critical to Parks Canada’s success, with relevant provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments and with a broad range of key stakeholders and interested groups.
The CEO provides oversight for Parks Canada’s role in a number of international conventions, agencies and agreements, including the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The CEO manages an annual operating and capital budget in excess of $1.5B and ensures the effective delivery of one of the Government’s largest infrastructure programs of work. Additionally, the CEO manages over $25B in built assets located in every province and territory in Canada, including iconic national landmarks in major urban centers, essential national transportation corridors, and municipal-type infrastructure, among others.
The Agency fosters a greater connection to, and appreciation of, nature and history for over 25 million visitors per year and reach new audiences who may have never been exposed to Canada's natural and cultural heritage. In turn, the CEO promotes an understanding and builds on the key role that Parks Canada plays in Canada’s multi-billion-dollar tourism industry.
The CEO seeks to modernize Parks Canada’s approach to ensuring that Canadians receive a fair return when Parks Canada’s places are used for commercial or private interests, while assuring that viable businesses operate in Parks Canada places.
How to Apply
Review of applications will begin on February 8, 2019. Candidates must apply online via the Governor in Council Appointments website. Candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by this date. After this date, your application will be retained and may be considered up until an appointment to the position is made. Your cover letter should be addressed to the Deputy Director of Selection Processes, Senior Personnel Secretariat, Privy Council Office, and should be sent only through the online application.
Instructions on how to apply for an appointment opportunity can be found on the Governor in Council Appointments website.