1 The Canadian national parks system has become an institution that is representative of many Canadian ideals, in particular the preservation, protection, and promotion of some of Canada’s most treasured landscapes. Since it was founded in 1911, its parks have been subject to substantial change, shaped by the ever-evolving needs and desires of the Canadian public.

2 In A Century of Parks Canada, 1911-2011, editor Claire Elizabeth Campbell explores the history of Canada’s national parks through the works of multiple contributors. Focusing on the growth and evolution of the institution during its first hundred years, the collection shares stories from across the country, providing readers with a deeper understanding of the world’s first national park system. The authors describe the difficulties and challenges faced by an organisation that was truly navigating the unknown, as parks staff at the national level were met with an ever-increasing number of unique sites that were spread across the vast expanse of the Great White North.

3 Campbell notes early on that her goal is not to present a typical institutional history, and in that she is successful. A Century of Parks Canada goes far beyond what that the reader may expect from this collection, painting a detailed portrait of the relationship between Canada’s levels of government, the national parks service, and the diverse Canadian public. Throughout these essays, the reader can expect to gain a better understanding of the uniqueness of Canada’s national parks, and the distinctive challenges that each location faces. Campbell and the other authors provide a fair and balanced view of some of the trials and triumphs that stemmed from the development of the service, and provide modern readers with a deeper understanding of the way in which it has adapted over the past century.

4 In her introduction to the collection, Campbell notes that the writers of the enclosed essays did something unusual by making an effort to come together a number of times throughout the writing process to discuss themes and connections that were emerging between their works. The collection benefits tremendously from this choice. Each piece, while focusing on independent issues, weaves together to provide the reader with a more complete and deeper understanding of the issues that have and continue to face the Canadian national parks system. A common thread found throughout the works is that the service’s administrators have always struggled to balance the wants and needs of the public and government officials, all while working to stay true to their mandate. The authors point out that, for much of their history, parks have had to juggle the need to protect spaces and landscapes of national significance while still providing tourism and revenue generation opportunities. Through their discussion of different parks and related issues from across the country, they effectively articulate how officials faced these challenges and the ways in which their methods of dealing with them have evolved over time.

5 In reading A Century of Parks Canada, one key element is missing from the story of Canada’s national park service: its national historic sites. With now almost 200 sites across the country, the Agency’s services and vision have been shaped by the need to address the dramatically different demands of Parks Canada places, from Banff National Park to the Wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror National Historic Site. By acknowledging the important connection between national parks and national historic sites, the collection would have offered a more complete view of how the current-day parks system came to be.

6 This does not, however, detract from the quality and fullness of the pieces that are presented, and in the end A Century of Parks Canada is a strong and much needed addition to the field of Canadian Studies. The collection sheds light on how we, as Canadians, understand and interact with the public spaces that are our national parks. At the same time, the authors remind us how far Canada’s national parks and Parks Canada Agency have come, and what possibilities await in the future.