Intelligence and governance failures at root of occupied downtown Ottawa, now a matter of national security, say experts
‘Freedom Convoy’ protesters who have entrenched themselves in Ottawa’s Parliamentary Precinct for weeks on end and who have since been removed from a number of border crossings across Canada following massive supply chain disruptions illustrate failures of both intelligence and governance, say national security experts, who support the government’s “long overdue” decision to invoke the […]
One last chime? Dominion Carillonneur’s plans for pre-renovation send off dampened by protests
The Peace Tower’s 53-bell carillon will soon go dormant—with work on both the tower and the instrument in the cards—but the recent occupation of downtown Ottawa by COVID-restriction protesters has put a spanner in Dominion Carillonneur Andrea McCrady’s plans for hour-long recitals through to Feb. 18, when the bells have one last chance to chime […]
Centre Block project demolition and excavation work nearly two-thirds complete, MPs hear
While Centre Block may have looked beautiful from the outside, “its facilities were critically outdated and systems were failing,” a senior Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) official told MPs recently, offering up new words to describe the deteriorated and outdated state of the 100-year-old Centre Block building to remind MPs “why we are doing […]
Reporters covering ‘Freedom Convoy’ in Ottawa describe safety concerns, intimidation following intense week downtown
Parliamentary Press Gallery and local Ottawa media members who have been covering the ‘Freedom Convoy’ protest that’s taken over one of Canada’s most famous streets for more than a week have contended with intimidation and harassment and a “pretty intense anti-media sentiment” since downtown Ottawa has been besieged by the protest since Jan. 28, say […]
New chair of House LTVP working group aims to boost project awareness
The new chair at the helm of the MP working group overseeing plans to renovate the Parliamentary Precinct says he’s looking to do more to ensure people across Canada are aware of the massive and “complicated” project being undertaken. “I’m still being informed of the whole process but I think this is a Canadian project […]
Navigating the new normal: hybrid sittings bring pros, cons for Parliamentarians with disabilities
Though some may decry its continuation, as politicians settle into another winter sitting of a hybrid House and Senate, Parliamentarians with disabilities say the ability to conduct business via video has opened doors—but also introduced some new hurdles. The experience can be overstimulating, said Liberal MP and Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion Minister Carla […]
Trip-wires and trap doors abound as Parliament resumes
CHELSEA, QUE.—As MPs re-assemble today—another hybrid sitting, for now—there is only one safe, if very general, prediction about the session to come: no one will be happy. The Liberals will feel affronted and misunderstood, nit-picked to distraction by their inferiors. The Conservatives will continue to scan the horizon—with night scopes, if necessary—looking for something to […]
‘Freedom Convoy’ rolls into town, jams Parliamentary Precinct, thousands protest against COVID-19 mandates
The “Freedom Convoy,” a large convoy of big rig and pickup truck drivers from across Canada, who are here to protest against vaccine mandates and the Trudeau government, rolled into town and took over the entire Parliamentary Precinct on Saturday. They started arriving in big numbers late Friday night, with the main demonstration against COVID-19 […]
Peace Tower bells soon to fall silent as Centre Block reno reaches high-heritage spaces
Demolition and abatement work inside the Centre Block building has passed the halfway mark and reached the building’s high-heritage spaces, with the Peace Tower’s bells set to fall silent as early as January. “When I see the building coming apart, I see it as a positive thing and I see it as progress, and I’m […]
‘Important’ and ‘symbolic’ to speak Indigenous language in same Chamber that repressed their use, says Battiste
Speaking Indigenous languages in the same House of Commons Chamber that had historically tried to quash them can be a source of inspiration and can help revitalization efforts, says Liberal Jaime Battiste. Revitalization experts say having the languages spoken in Parliament can be effective and show the applicability of learning Indigenous languages. “There’s times in […]
