Creation and Development

The Government of Québec has mandated the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs to plan, create and develop Québec’s network of national parks, and to provide guidance for their management.

In accordance with the Parks Act, parks are protected areas "… whose primary purpose is to ensure the conservation and permanent protection of areas representative of the natural regions of Québec and of natural sites with outstanding features, in particular because of their biological diversity, while providing the public with access to those areas or sites for educational or cross-country recreation purposes."

When the process is set in motion towards the creation of a park, work groups composed of regional representatives are set up by the Ministère. These groups seek to gather information for their common use, and to share it with the various groups concerned by the park project. The Ministère is thus able to integrate local expertise into this stage of planning, while being informed of local expectations. Discussions conducted in the work groups are also aimed at exploring alternatives so as to ensure that the park is acceptable from both economic and social points of view.

In parallel, the Ministère collects information about the area involved, then drafts a provisional master plan to serve in consulting with citizens, at public hearings, regarding the boundaries and development of the park. Based on the conclusions of this consultation, the Government proceeds with creation of the park and the Ministère then draws up its master plan.

Giving concrete form to the guidelines set out in the Parks Policy, the master plan describes the challenges involved in conserving the park’s heritage, and determines formative projects for the development of the park. The master plan is updated on a regular basis.

Should there be any proposal to modify the boundaries of a park, the Ministère consults with citizens anew.