(Re)branding Canada's National Parks

Abstract

While the notion of 'Canadian identity' tends to oversimplify the country's cultural diversity, it is frequently claimed that national identity is both reflected in and promoted by Canada’s National Parks. This owes largely to the fact that the beginning of the National Parks system in the late nineteenth century, coincided with the formation of Canada as a country, and that National Parks have been established in every province since. Yet despite the mandate of Parks Canada to preserve these landscapes for future generations of Canadians, their inconsistent approach to both land stewardship and to genuine cultural inclusivity exposes the need for a new form of park management. Focusing on the proposed National Park Reserve on the Hog Island Sandhills in Prince Edward Island, this thesis project prioritizes a cooperative management model between Parks Canada and the local Indigenous communities while contributing to the site’s cultural and environmental sustainability. Mobilizing design to critically (re)brand the National Park's architecture, its wayfinding and its promotional materials, this thesis project promotes the official (but inconsistently respected) mandate of Parks Canada for landscape conservation while also prioritizing Canada’s stated (but not yet realized) commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.