'Connecting People to Nature’ - Celebrate Canada hosting World Environment Day with a virtual trip to our most beautiful parks

^{Editor's note: The below post is guest authored by the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change}

Each year on June 5, World Environment Day is celebrated by thousands of communities worldwide. It is the single largest celebration of our environment and there’s no better time for Canada to host than on the eve of our 150th birthday.

Being the official host of this global event coupled with plans to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as soon as possible sends a clear message that Canada is fully behind global action to tackle the biggest environmental challenges of our time.

Canada will use World Environment Day to showcase the beauty of its natural environment on land and water. This year’s theme is 'Connecting People to Nature’ and one of the great ways of doing this is through Street View.

Take a virtual walk through Kluane National Park in the Yukon or Gulf Islands National Park Reserve in British Columbia. Or, check out Forillon National Park and Saguenay St. Lawrence Marine Park in Quebec and the world famous L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site and Gros Morne National Park in Newfoundland and Labrador.

I’m happy that Canada, which has been demonstrating an emphatic commitment to environmental issues, will host World Environment Day 2017. As global host, it is an opportunity for Canada to further demonstrate this commitment and expand its leadership on the international stage.