Canada’s Parliament Buildings

Thought originally to be an Algonquin camp (given the view of the Ottawa River), the modern site of Parliament Hill would first become a military barrack (Barrack Hill). But when Queen Victoria dubbed Ottawa the Capital of the Province of Canada (a region made up predominantly of Upper Canada and Lower Canada, now Ontario and Quebec) in 1857, construction of the Parliament Buildings began. The neo-gothic stone buildings and the spire of the Peace Tower are the heart of political life in Canada, including the Senate, the House of Commons, and the Library of Parliament.

The Peace Tower houses a 53-bell carillon, a huge clock, and the memorial chamber commemorating Canada’s war dead. Through all of this, the seat of Canadian government still sits on disputed Algonquin lands. In 1916, a huge fire destroyed everything but the library. Construction of the new Parliament Buildings turned out to be plagued by the same problems as the original. Shortages due to World War I, coupled with construction difficulties, delayed the expected completion date by several years before the government’s new digs finally opened in 1920. The new Centre Block was sympathetic in style with the existing buildings on Parliament Hill, but close inspection, especially from the rear where comparisons with the original library are easily made, will reveal the differences.

The new building was constructed to be resistant to fire, incorporating intricate stone carvings in place of much of the original wood panelling. As well, since they used soil taken from a landfill across the river, an Aboriginal burial site where the Museum of Civilization currently sits; some say it is entirely possible that the second Parliament Buildings include fragments of Natives’ bone in its structure. Currently housed on Wellington Street, the original Parliament Buildings (both pre- and post-fire versions) were expected to house the entire government of Canada, but with new provinces and new portfolios, the original buildings quickly became too small. The thinking for the subsequent construction was, “the closer the better,” with newer foundations broken for the Confederation Building, the Supreme Court, the Library and Archives Canada Building, the Langevin Block, the Bank of Canada, the Department of Trade and Commerce, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the original United States Embassy.

There was talk a number of years ago about creating some new buildings on the Hill for the sake of new office space, but the state of disrepair in some of the buildings is so advanced that prominent stonemasons were warning as recently as May 2007 that “without emergency repairs, someone could be killed by falling masonry,” and that even a minor earthquake could do permanent damage. They’ve known about the problem for years (major repairs on the West Block have been going on for some time), but the state of disrepair might simply be overtaking government inaction.

Unfortunately, some of the recent government action in the Langevin Block included Prime Minister Stephen Harper lining an entire hallway with portraits of himself, just outside of his office. For general tourist information, a good place to check while on your way through the Parliament Buildings site, or before you get there, is Capital Infocentre at 90 Wellington Street (across from Parliament Hill, 239- 5000).

Wipe The Slate Clean

How could any guide to this government town be complete without an entry for the international company Iron Mountain, who will happily destroy all of your office records for you?
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