Canada Guide
Ontario
Parliament Buildings
Address: Parliament Hill
Website: www.parl.gc.ca
Perched on the limestone bluff of Parliament Hill, high above the Ottawa River, Canada's handsome Parliament Buildings have, with their spires, pointed windows and soaring clock tower, a distinctly ecclesiastical air – "a stupendous splodge of Victoriana" as Jan Morris put it, though they certainly didn't overawe the original workmen, who urinated on the copper roof to speed up the oxidization process. Comprising a trio of sturdy neo-Gothic structures, the complex was begun in 1859 after the land was purchased from the British army, who had erected a barracks here during the construction of the Rideau Canal.
Flanking Centre Block, which is the focus of the Parliament buidlings, are West Block (no public access) and East Block (July & Aug daily 10am–5pm; free), where the guided tour pops into four Confederation-era rooms: the original governor general's office, the offices of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir George Étienne Cartier, and the Privy Council Chamber. Costumed guides provide the history. The manicured lawns surrounding the Parliament Buildings are dotted with statues of the great and the good with two of the more interesting occupying a tiny hillock just to the west of Centre Block. Here, Queen Victoria has been stuck on a plinth guarded by a lion and offered laurels from below, whilst Lester Pearson (Prime Minister 1963–68) lounges in an armchair, the epitome of the self-confident statesman. Round the back of Centre Block there are pleasant views across the Ottawa River to Gatineau and of the LIbrary's handsome design.
Two events pull the tourist crowds onto Parliament Hill, beginning with the Changing of the Guard, when the Governor General's Foot Guards march onto the Hill dressed in full ceremonial uniform – bright-red tunics and bearskins (late June to late Aug daily between 10am and 10.30am). The second is a free summer-evening sound and light show (early July to early Sept), illustrating Canada's history with alternate French and English performances nightly.