Benefits are great, but passion is better, say current, past staffers of working in politics
Working in politics comes with its upsides and downsides, but the biggest of those seem to be satisfying a passion to work in the sector and the intense time commitment, respectively, current and former staffers say. The basic benefits available to staffers are the same as any other public servant, such as health and dental […]
From disorientation to lockdowns to recovery: my year reporting on COVID
Following the one-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve noticed more and more folks on social media asking and answering this question: ‘on what day did the pandemic really and truly start for you’? For me, it was March 16, 2020, when I checked into a hotel just off Elgin Street for the first of […]
Virtual reality Centre Block tour ‘coolest thing’ the Library of Parliament has ever done, says VR chief
And then there was light. But not just any light. It’s the shine of a virtual-reality experience blasting through my headset and transporting me to the Centre Block without needing to leave the confines of my own home. Jointly produced by the National Film Board of Canada and the Library of Parliament, it launched on […]
Hill reno update: House BOIE approves design for main entrance to new welcome centre complex
Plans for renovations to Parliament Hill are inching ahead with the House of Commons’ recent approval of a design for the entrance to the new, underground visitors’ welcome centre complex being built in the shadow of the Centre Block building. Plus, a recent update from Deputy House Speaker and Conservative MP Bruce Stanton (Simcoe North, […]
A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
NDP to focus on pandemic measures, amplifying message in winter sitting
The NDP has rearranged its critics for 2021 and is poised to tackle a wide portfolio of issues coming back into the House, aimed at helping Canadians get through the “eye of the storm” of the pandemic, while working to make more noise despite their fourth-party status, say caucus members. The six updated roles include […]
Could Parliament Hill withstand a Capitol Building-style insurrection?
The Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., shook the U.S., threatening a beacon of democracy and begging the question: could something similar happen in Canada? And if it did, could Parliament Hill withstand such an assault? The closest thing that Canada’s had to a similar surge of violence in recent memory is […]
Even through Centre Block’s shutdown and massive renovation project, McCrady keeps a steady hand on Parliament Hill’s bells
On a regular day, Dominion Carillonneur Andrea McCrady arrives at work at 8 a.m. She gears up, starting with her work boots, then puts on her orange reflective vest, her work helmet and goggles, and nowadays her mask, and heads out into the construction zone that is now the Centre Block building. Accompanied by a […]
Centre Block’s renovation of a century: inside the plans, possibilities, and priorities of the building’s overhaul
It’s been two years since MPs, Senators, and staff cleared out of Centre Block to allow for the building’s renovation. Now, interior demolition work is close to halfway complete, with exterior masonry restoration to begin in the new year, starting on the building’s north façade. “The history of Canada really resounds within this building, so […]
BOIE approves multiple plans for Centre Block’s renovation, including new glass enclosures
The House Board of Internal Economy recently green-lit a series of recommendations for the Centre Block building’s renovation, including an expansion of the lobbies into the western courtyard and an infill in the currently exposed space above the Hall of Honour. Covering over the open courtyard-like spaces, or light courts, in the Centre Block building […]
