Talking Tourism With Minister Chagger At RVC 2018

A spirit of cooperation and accommodation with federal conservation policies will define the best way to utilize national park resources for visitors, says federal tourism minister Bardish Chagger.

Chagger, the minister of small business and tourism, commented on the state of national park conservation as part of an exclusive interview with Canadian Travel Press.

She did so during the Rendez-vous Canada 2018 travel trade market in Halifax this week. Ted Davis of CTP was in attendance.

“We have made a commitment to Canadians recognizing that we can make strategic investments to grow the economy, while also making strategic investments to ensure the good health of our environment. We know that the environment and the economy go together, so we will continue to champion them together,” she said.

Minister Chagger was responding to questions on recent statements by federal minister of the environment Catherine McKenna, indicating that a review of commericial developments at national parks was necessary to ensure environmental standards are maintained.

This may lead to reductions on those developments, with a corresponding impact on available tourism resources at the national parks.

“Another thing that we are doing is taking a ‘whole government’ approach,” said Chagger. “Minister McKenna and I work closely together so that we are creating sustainable opportunities for Canadians. We want the tourism industry to not only have a record year in 2017, but to continue to have record years for years to come. This means ensuring that the quality of the experience is retained.”

In the photo

Bardish Chagger, the federal minister of small business and tourism, met with Ted Davis of Baxter Media for an interview during Rendez-vous Canada 2018 in Halifax this year.