Shaping Canada’s future by investing in its past
On June 17, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) provided updates on the progress of the largest and most complex heritage restoration project in Canada. Since December 2018, Parliament Hill’s Centre Block has been closed to make way for a visitor welcome complex and the rehabilitation and retrofit of Canada’s most iconic heritage building. The […]
Skylights and a Charter display: diving into plans for the Centre Block project
Public Services and Procurement Canada recently announced its cost and time estimates for completion of the Centre Block project—$4.5- to $5-billion by 2030-2031—and with it, made public a number of planned design features for the first time, including a first-ever display of the Charter of Rights, a change of location for the cabinet room, and […]
Centre Block reno, welcome centre construction pegged at upwards of $5-billion by PSPC, to finish by 2030-31
The massive project to restore and modernize Parliament Hill’s focal point building, the Centre Block, and build a new underground welcome centre complex is expected to cost between $4.5- and $5-billion in all, and be completed by 2030-31, according to long-awaited cost and time estimates released by Public Services and Procurement Canada on June 17. […]
New vision for National Press Building requested after years of decline
The National Press Building, once a social hub, has lost many of tenants over the years, but a new vision document in the works aims to revitalize it for the future, Parliamentary Press Gallery executives say. Located at 150 Wellington St., just across from the West Block, the National Press Building started its life as […]
CBSA workers to start strike votes this week amid Canada-U.S. talks on easing border restrictions
Canada Border Service Agency workers, who have not had a new contract in just under three years, are set to kick off strike votes this week at the same time that Canadians continue to eagerly await the loosening of long-standing border restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The 9,000-member strong union, which […]
NDP’s Qaqqaq announces planned departure from federal politics
NDP MP Mumilaaq Qaqqaq, who garnered attention this year for her Nunavut housing tour, announced on May 20 that she will not be re-offering in the next election. The news broke on Twitter through a written statement from the first-term MP, which did not touch on the exact reason she decided to leave politics. Ms. […]
Industry reps, MP urge swift action on committee calls to help interpreters
The House Official Languages Committee has backed a number of recommendations to improve the working conditions of interpreters supporting Parliament during the shift to virtual, including unanimously urging the government to adopt a new definition of remote interpretation—changes industry reps say they hope to see acted on as soon as possible. “Parliament could be paralyzed […]
Come walk with me: Sen. Simons leads tour of ‘glories’ and ‘absurdities’ of hometown park
“When people think of Alberta, they probably don’t think of avant-garde, mid-century, modern heritage architecture,” Independent Senator Paula Simons said of Coronation Park, the area she decided to hold a virtual tour through. As a part of the annual global Jane’s Walk festival, citizen-led walking conversations are par for the course. The event celebrates the […]
Looking back: a decade since the 2011 election
KAMOURASKA, QUE.—Time flies quickly as one ages. In that respect, while it seems like yesterday, this May 2 marked a decade since I was a candidate in the 2011 federal election. It was an historic election for many reasons: it gave the Conservative government of Stephen Harper its first majority; the famed “Orange Wave” in […]
‘Not a time for austerity’: public service unions laud feds’ childcare pledge, focus on recovery through spending over cuts
Leaders of Canada’s largest federal public service unions are lauding the government’s big-ticket commitment to affordable child care, and say this year’s budget shows the government isn’t interested in pursuing austerity measures after more than a year of record spending. “My reaction is generally positive—it’s clear that the government understands that this is not a […]
