Underwater Archaeology the Canadian Way, Eh! Fifty Years of Park Canada’s Underwater Archaeology Service

In 1964, Parks Canada’s archaeology program made the decision to immerse itself in the then nascent discipline of underwater archaeology. Over the last 50 years, what is now the Underwater Archaeology Service (UAS) of Parks Canada has developed an expertise specific to an immense, relatively unoccupied, Nordic territory. From the early efforts to support a developing National Historic Site program and large-scale excavations through to the management of cultural resources, the changing mandate of the UAS has required periodical realignments of its operations. This session will reflect on an evolving Canadian approach to underwater archaeology and show through thematic presentations how the UAS continues has addressed over the years the challenges imposed by a very focused mandate within a National Park system over a formidable landscape spanning from ocean to ocean to ocean.