A look at Parliament’s Centre Block renovations, Canada’s largest-ever heritage project

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Rob Wright had to explain to a group of journalists touring the barely recognizable Centre Block of Parliament Hill that they were, in fact, in one of Canada’s most iconic spaces, where continuing renovations will leave the building closed for another decade.

On Thursday, the assistant deputy minister at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) showed how the arena for decades of political battles was filled with so much scaffolding that there did not seem to be room for anything else. Gone were the mix of flooring, panelling, stained-glass windows and MP desks that added up to the familiar federal-political forum.

“We’re in the House of Commons chamber right now,” said Mr. Wright, who was wearing a hard hat and construction vest. “It looks much different than it did previously.” Indeed, it was so unfamiliar that Mr. Wright had to point out where the Speakers’ chair had been because it was not immediately obvious.

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The building, which houses the chambers for the Commons and Senate, for the offices for the prime minister and opposition-party leaders, and for ceremonial spaces is in flux during renovations that began in 2020 and is expected to take until at least 2032.

Once a year, PSPC takes journalists on a tour of the Centre Block to provide a tangible sense of where things stand with what has been described as Canada’s largest-ever heritage project, with goals such as removing hazardous materials and improving accessibility at the forefront.

Thursday’s four-hour visit – there were tours in English and French – was underscored by certain milestones that have been met on the renovations.

For example, 39,000 truckloads of bedrock have been excavated from the front of the complex, creating a 23-metre-deep pit that will be filled with a new parliamentary Welcome Centre that, in videos screened for journalists, looks like a mix of an elegant airport and a cutting-edge museum. It was described, essentially, as a new front door to Parliament. There are stations, akin to those in an airport, that will allow for the security screening of visitors before they proceed into the Centre Block.

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About 20,000 “heritage items” in the building – stained-glass windows, doors, murals, chandeliers, the 22 bells from the Peace Tower, statues and tiles – have been labelled, catalogued and placed in storage for eventual return to the complex once the renovation work is done.

In addition, according to a PSPC briefing sheet, about 200,000 artifacts such as military buttons and ceramics have been found and preserved.

After the work began in 2020, MPs were relocated to West Block on Parliament Hill, where a new chamber was built. The Senate and their operations have been moved to a former railway station and government conference centre across the street from the venerable Chateau Laurier hotel.

From a distance, the Centre Block looks as it always has: with the Peace Tower rising from the complex. But up close, on most working days, there are about 450 construction workers in the complex.

Mr. Wright said the project, which is being handled by PCL Construction and the EllisDon construction services company, is proceeding as planned despite the hurdles in recent years created by the pandemic, convoy protest and the public-servants strike.

“We’ve faced a number of challenges, but the project remains on track,” he said.

The to-do list for the project includes removing hazardous material (about 9.6 million kilograms had been taken out by March), making the building more accessible to the disabled and upgrading the complex to withstand an earthquake by installing 500 seismic base isolators – which resemble squat shock absorbers – underneath.

In a scrum on the roof of Centre Block, Mr. Wright conceded that it would be faster to build a new parliamentary complex. But he noted that the mission is to restore the current building. “It is of tremendous value to keep hold of our country’s traditions, but also to build forward,” he said.

Centre Block was opened in 1866, and expanded between 1906 and 1914. A fire in 1916 destroyed the entire building, except for the Library of Parliament, and killed one MP. However, Centre Block was rebuilt, and hosted its first sitting in 1920. The decline of the building led to the current effort to renovate it.