New federal legislation was proposed Tuesday that would further define the National Capital Commission's role in protecting Gatineau Park. (Nick Gamache/CBC)

The federal government introduced legislation Tuesday that could make protecting Gatineau Park an easier task for Ottawa's National Capital Commission.

Transport Minister John Baird and Lawrence Cannon, the minister of Foreign Affairs and minister of state for the NCC, said the new legislation will put an emphasis on preserving the ecological integrity of the 363 square kilometres of greenspace that makes up Gatineau Park.

The legislation is a proposed amendment to the National Capital Act, which governs the National Capital Commission and will offer the NCC greater allowances in protecting the park, but will also force it to follow more rigid guidelines, said Cannon, who made the announcement.

In terms of protecting lands within the park, the legislation will allow the NCC to mores easily purchase and protect privately owned land that falls within the park's boundaries.

"The place is very fragile," said Paul Laflamme, a hiker who lives in Aylmer and has visited Gatineau Park since he was young.

He said he hoped the NCC would discourage the further development of land within the park to preserve the natural environment for the park's many visitors.

"If you put houses inside the park, it's not good for the park and the people who come here," he said.

The new legislation, however, will also require the NCC to maintain the ecological integrity, based on legislated environmental rules.

But even with the added rules and permissions, not everyone feels that the legislation is doing enough to protect the park.

Jean-Paul Murray, an advocate for Gatineau Park, said the government should go further and simply declare Gatineau a national park.

"It's a second class-federal park is what it is," he said.

Gilles Paquet, who led the NCC's mandate review in 2006, said that bringing the federal government into Quebec could create an unnecessary territorial battle between the federal government and the province.