e-551 (National parks)

Petition to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

• Canada should promote hiking and biking as a means of travel because of the health benefits and the reduced environmental impact relative to other forms of transportation;
• The mandate letter of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change commits to promoting ecotourism industries and reducing Canada’s emissions;
• Cycle tourism is an increasingly lucrative global industry and Canada’s tourism industry could benefit greatly from an increase in cycle tourists;
• Current fee structures for camping at national parks may be prohibitive for some cycle tourists leading them to camp illegally without paying or choose another country to travel;
• Other jurisdictions like the states of California and Oregon have created “hiker-biker sites” at state parks which consist of a campsite set aside for people arriving by bike or backpackers arriving by foot that do not require advance booking and cost only a small fee.