Modernization of Parliament (Parliamentary Precinct): Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—November 24, 2022

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Parliamentary Precinct and 100 Wellington

Key messages

Key data points

Background

Centre Block Rehabilitation Program

The design concept for the Centre Block and Parliament Welcome Centre has been finalized and major construction activities are underway, such as excavation, demolition and abatement, and masonry rehabilitation.

In addition providing significantly enhanced functionality to Parliament, the restored Centre Block and the new Parliament Welcome Centre will offer an accessible path of travel from the Centennial Flame to the Chamber galleries as well as provide modern building infrastructure to better meet the needs of a broader spectrum of human conditions.

Centre Block will also transition from the highest energy use per meter-squared and the highest emitter of greenhouse gas in the Public Services and Procurement Canada portfolio to being carbon neutral.

Block 2 redevelopment

Public Services and Procurement Canada is finalizing negotiations for the design contract and establishing detailed functional requirements with Parliament, such as the need for committee rooms, parliamentary office units, and associated support spaces, which includes shipping and receiving, food services, postal distribution and base-building operational services.

The block 2 lead design consultant (Zeidler/Chipperfield) will collaborate with Public Services and Procurement Canada and the parliamentary partners to further refine and establish final functional requirements as part of the schematic design phase of the project.

Once the requirements are agreed upon and the design is sufficiently advanced, Public Services and Procurement Canada will be in a position to develop a baseline project budget and begin construction (targeted for 2024).

Indigenous Peoples’ Space

Over the last few years, as the overall lead for the Indigenous Peoples’ Space (100 Wellington), Crown-Indigenous Relations has been working collaboratively with national Indigenous organizations and the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council to enable the short-term use of the space. There was an understanding amongst partners that 100 Wellington would remain closed until an agreement could be reached between the Government of Canada and Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council for a dedicated space for the Algonquin people (former CIBC building located at 119 Sparks Street).

Crown-Indigenous Relations is best positioned to answer questions on the status of the agreement with the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council.

As the lead on the redevelopment of block 2, which is where 100 Wellington Street is located, Public Services and Procurement Canada will ensure that the design and construction of the entire block honours and respects the significance of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and their contributions.

Future of Wellington Street

The Parliamentary Precinct is a complex environment involving many actors with overlapping accountabilities, including Parliament, Public Services and Procurement Canada, several other federal departments and agencies, the City of Ottawa, and security agencies. This creates issues of ownership, security and governance.

Within the next few decades, approximately half of parliamentary offices will be located south of Wellington Street, which no longer serves as a boundary of the precinct but runs right through its core.

Public Services and Procurement Canada is closely following the work of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs on its study of the expansion and operational security of the Parliamentary Precinct.

Following the release of the committee’s report, Public Services and Procurement Canada will work with Parliament to implement a plan that will ensure the security of the Parliamentary Precinct is enhanced, while also allowing it to remain open to all Canadians.

The outcomes of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs and the Public Order Emergency Commission will also be examined and included in a final Government of Canada report on the Future of Wellington Street initiative expected to be completed by the end of March 2023.

Indigenous involvement in the precinct broadly

Beyond the Indigenous Peoples’ Space and the dedicated space for the Algonquin people, Public Services and Procurement Canada is working collaboratively with the Algonquin Nation, Indigenous-led organizations, and other communities to ensure that Indigenous Peoples are involved in the re-building of Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct.

This collaboration includes skills development, apprenticeship and economic opportunities, including an Archaeological Field School to train community members in preserving and managing archaeological findings, as well as working with Indigenous partners on the transfer of Indigenous artifacts in the Parliamentary Precinct.

In addition, agreements have been established with organizations, such as the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association, the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, the Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers, the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario, and the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council, to assist with fulfilling the 5% mandate for procurement with Indigenous businesses as it pertains to work in the Parliamentary Precinct.

Public Services and Procurement Canada is also working with Indigenous partners to receive input on the proposed architecture and design for the Parliament Welcome Centre and to begin engagement on the redevelopment and expanded Parliamentary Precinct campus through visioning sessions.

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