Karen Sorensen, Banff National Park, Alberta.

Thank you for being here today. It’s much appreciated. As you know, I have much respect for Parks Canada, and I applaud all the processes you so diligently go through, which, of course, take time. It’s very exciting that this bill is actually before us, because I know these things take an extraordinary amount of time.

Following up on my colleague’s question about cost, I always like to ask about value. That may be my mayor’s hat that I’m putting on.

I think the environmental value is obvious to people on this bill, but I’m curious to know: Do national park expansions like these — which is different than the national parks I’m perhaps familiar with — bring these benefits to the local economies in their respective regions?

I can tell you the value is greater than the cost.

Changing gears, this is for my education. In general, Parks Canada allows Indigenous communities to engage in traditional hunting and harvesting activities in its places, in some of its places. How will that relate to these newly protected lands we are talking about now? Also for my benefit, can you explain the concept of traditional land users and what rights they have or will have?