Opinion: The Canada Strong Pass is a Dumb Idea
Normally, I love freebies. Who doesn’t? I’m rarely more chuffed than when I create a bag lunch out of a complimentary hotel breakfast. But there is one freebie I refuse to cash in: the Canada Strong Pass.
This is the federal government scheme that provides free or discounted admission to national attractions and services, including free admission to Canada’s national parks. First introduced in summer 2025, the Canada Strong Pass is back now until January 15, 2026 and returning again from June 19 to September 7, 2026, the busiest time of year at national parks.
On paper, it sounds great. I’m a cheerleader for dismantling any barriers to Canadians spending more time outside. The more of us that experience the mental and physical benefits of time in nature, the more of us invested in protecting and caring for these special places. And I recognize that most of our national parks are challenging to access for anyone who doesn’t own a car. Parks Canada’s admission fees (around $11 for a day pass or $75 for an annual pass), on top of everything else, can make a trip to Pacific Rim, Riding Mountain or Kejimkujik unaffordable for many.
But in my opinion, leaving the gates to our national parks wide open is not the solution—especially right now.
Many national parks are already straining under the boots of record numbers of visitors. More than 23 million people visited Parks Canada sites in 2024-2025, up from just over 16 million in 2018-2019. Parks Canada’s goal is to increase visitation by another two percent next year. Free access should help.
But it will also contribute to overcrowding and overtourism, which is already a problem in popular parks like Banff, where shuttle buses have become mandatory to visit the busiest spots. In contrast, fees can actually deter some visitors and encourage them to experience new and lesser-known provincial and regional parks instead, distributing the overwhelming crowds.
At the same time that parks are getting busier, the Parks Canada network is growing. In 2024, the agency added Pituamkek National Park Reserve in P.E.I., bringing the total number of Parks and Park Reserves to 48. Three more parks are under consideration, and in April, the Liberal government pledged to create 25 new parks as part of its 30 by 30 biodiversity commitments.
I’m not great at math, but it seems to me that a busier and growing park system would need more money.
Instead, the federal government is eroding Parks Canada’s budget as part of its greater austerity efforts. It cut $23.6 million in 2024 and another $26.8 million in 2025. The 2026 budget, released in November, mandated a further “15 percent in savings targets over three years,” representing almost $200 million in additional cuts. The union that represents the agency’s employees says the cuts will eliminate hundreds of jobs.
To me, the middle of a major budget cut doesn’t seem like a good time to simultaneously shrink a major revenue stream.
According to Parks Canada’s fiscal report, park passes, admissions and other user fees generated $185 million in 2022-2023, or 25 percent of its operating funds. Free holiday and summer admission won’t eliminate it all, but it will cut deep into already shrinking park budgets.
I think it comes across as hypocritical. Back in April, the prime minister was humming from the campfire songbook, praising the importance of parks and outdoor recreation during a speech:
“Nature is part of our very identity as Canadians,” Mark Carney said. “In this time of crisis, we need bold new approaches to protect Canada’s natural heritage and defend it for future generations.”
If you ask me, the Canada Strong Pass is not bold or new. It comes across as a lazy vote grab. Look, here’s something shiny and free! Don’t worry about how the parks will run.
Meanwhile, just about every other country is moving in the opposite direction. The United States just increased their national park admission prices for foreigners from $80 for an annual pass to $250, plus additional day fees in the most popular parks. (Prices for US citizens have not changed.) Several other places, including Ecuador and New Zealand charge visitors more to access parks and trails.
I’m not saying a two-tiered price is the right way to go. But if the federal government really wants to get more Canadians outside, there are plenty of others levers that they could pull, like establishing a fund to grant money to the outdoor clubs that build and maintain recreation infrastructure and provide interpretive services, often right inside provincial and national parks.
Unlike eliminating park fees, that wouldn’t worsen the challenges Parks Canada is already facing.
I could not agree more. The parks need more revenue, not less! Combined with more staff, more garbage collection, more maintenance, more signage, more of everything required for these extra people visiting. I’ve seen this first hand in Banff and Jasper, it’s an overcrowding and overuse disaster. (And just a side note, the free passes actually started the year of “Canada 150” in 2017. The overcrowding has been noticeable ever since.) I love our national parks and it’s breaking my heart.
People care more about things when they pay for it. People don’t respect free things, because on some subconscious level, things have less value if it’s free. It’s human nature.
I strongly urge Parks Canada to stop giving free access. Whatever they think the benefit is, it is strongly outweighed by the downside.