The Centre Block of Parliament Building is the main attraction in Ottawa, pictured here. Now it’s closed for renovation. I am so grateful I made it under the wire! There are still tours of the other buildings on Parliament Hill. You can get tickets online or stand in line to get them at a building across the street. I don’t know what the lines are like with Centre Block being temporarily closed, but I suggest you get there early and then plan the rest of your time around that.
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building
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- Centennial Flame on Parliament Hill, Parliament East Block Building in the background
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Confederation Hall
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Confederation Hall
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Memorial Chamber
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Memorial Chamber, Books of Remembrance. Every morning, at eleven o’clock, the pages of the Books of Remembrance are turned by a member of the House of Commons Protective Service Staff.
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, House of Commons Foyer
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, House of Commons Chamber
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- One of my favorite memes of all time! Seriously, though, the Prime Minister is a member of the House of Commons.
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Senate Foyer
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Senate Chamber
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- Busts of the first woman in the Canadian Senate, and the first member of First Nations in the Canadian Senate.
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Hall of Honor leading to Library of Parliament
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Library of Parliament
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Peace Tower
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- View of Parliament’s West Block Building from the Peace Tower in the Centre Block Building
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- View of Parliament’s East Block Building from the Peace Tower in the Centre Block Building
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- View of the Ottawa River from the Peace Tower in Parliament’s Centre Block Building. The round tower on the left is the Library of Parliament.
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- View of the Ottawa River from the Peace Tower in Parliament’s Centre Block Building
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building, Peace Tower on left, Library of Parliament on right
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- Statue of Queen Elizabeth II on Parliament Hill. She is actually the queen of Canada. I don’t quite get the structures and protocols in place, but it seems like something of an informed ceremonial role where she gives authority to people and procedures that have already been determined through a Canadian democratic process – if that makes any sense. Canada is a sovereign nation, no longer a colony of Great Britain.
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- Women are Persons sculpture on the grounds of the Canadian Parliament. From Canada.ca: “Created in 2000, this monument is a tribute the Famous Five: Irene Parlby, Louise McKinney, Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy and Henrietta Muir Edwards. The Famous Five brought a case before the highest court in the British Empire to appeal a 1928 decision by the Supreme Court of Canada. That court had ruled that women could not be appointed to the Senate, because they were not ‘qualified persons.’ On October 18, 1929, the Privy Council reversed this decision. This sculpture was also featured on the back of the $50 bill.”
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- Rideau Canal emptying into the Ottawa River
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- The Rideau Canal connects Ottawa to Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence River. The locks on the system open for navigation. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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- National War Memorial, Confederation Square. I notice I have seen statues of women included in military and police memorials in both Toronto and Ottawa.
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- The head of the pedestrian-only Sparks Street
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- Canadian Tribute to Human Rights. From Canada.ca: “This monument is the first in the world dedicated to universal human rights. It is a tribute to the historic struggle of all people to obtain and safeguard their fundamental rights. This monument symbolizes Canadians’ commitment to live in peace in a society based on these rights.”
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- Tin House Court next to ByWard Market. From Canada.ca: “The Tin House is a reconstruction of the facade from a house that was owned by Honoré Foisy, which was located a few blocks from the ByWard Market. Foisy was a tinsmith who used sheet metal to create a facade that was made to look like other building materials, such as wood and brick.”
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- History of Ottawa, transportation and trade
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- History of Ottawa, logging
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- History of Ottawa, designated as Canada’s capital. From lop.parl.ca: “In 1857, there were a few cities competing to be the capital city. To settle it, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa because it was centrally located between the cities of Montreal and Toronto, and was along the border of Ontario and Quebec (the centre of Canada at the time). It was also far from the American border, making it safer from attacks.”
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- Canadian Building Trades Monument
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- Canadian Parliament, Centre Block Building from Major’s Hill Park
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- Oh, and a lot of the squirrels are black in Canada.
