Hill reporters push back against lack of access to MPs in West Block
Parliamentary reporters say they’re disappointed with the limited access they have to catch Members of Parliament for comment in the new West Block, and though they’ve brought their concerns to House security officials there’s no resolution yet. Their frustrations largely stem from MPs being able to take a back entrance to the House of Commons […]
Two House chambers? Time to consider it, MPs say
With the Centre Block beginning a decade-long rehabilitation, and an interim House of Commons Chamber now running in West Block, advocates of varying political stripes say the time is ripe to consider a second permanent House chamber. A parallel chamber would boost the number of people who could debate a bill, say proponents, and could […]
‘We don’t take decisions like this lightly,’ Hill’s 100-year-old elm tree could be chopped down as part of Centre Block renovations
PARLIAMENT HILL—Parliament Hill’s oldest tree could be chopped down in order to make way for the Centre Block renovations. A review is underway to assess whether it is necessary to remove the roughly 100-year-old elm tree, planted east of Centre Block by the statue of Sir John A. Macdonald, for the “construction associated with the […]
Adam Vaughan apologizes for ‘whack’ tweet
Liberal MP Adam Vaughan apologized for a tweet he wrote on Saturday saying to “just whack” Ontario Premier Doug Ford. In the tweet, the Toronto-area MP also misspelled his former Toronto city council colleague calling him Doug “Frod.” “So Frod’s gang could get folks upset over hurting Kindergarten students instead of being angry over the […]
Parliamentarians christen new digs
From the House of Commons curator, to the opposition lobby staffer, to the journalist who broke a national story, to the PMO’s Canada-U.S. relations team, every week, ordinary people are doing some extraordinary work on the Hill. The Hill Life is a new weekly newsletter sent every Friday focused on the people in front of and behind the scenes. […]
Paul Henderson gets House support for Hockey Hall of Fame honour
“Here’s a shot. Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell. Here’s another shot. Right in front. They scored! Henderson has scored for Canada,” legendary broadcaster Foster Hewitt exclaimed as Paul Henderson put Canada on top, clinching a 6-5 victory for the Canadians in the 1972 Summit Series against the so-called amateur Soviet Union […]
“What are your party’s legislative priorities for the coming months?”
Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist “This year, it will come as no surprise that our priorities as a government are to continue growing the economy, strengthening the middle class, creating jobs, and investing in people across the country so they can succeed and build bright futures for their families. “In the House of Commons, we will […]
Centre Block: A history in photos
Remembering Centre Block: In their own words
There’s a common thread to stories of people who work in Centre Block. They often say how when they go to work in the morning they look up at the Peace Tower and think, “Wow, am I ever lucky I work here?” As the last of the Centre Block occupants settle into their new digs, […]
Preserve Centre Block as ‘cathedral of democracy,’ say MPs, with some modern tweaks
When British Columbia MP Mark Strahl returns to Centre Block at least a decade from now, he hopes it will be like coming home—that he can walk in and say “they haven’t changed a thing.” Whether the Conservative Member of Parliament for Chilliwack-Hope is still representing his riding or returning as a visitor to the […]
