Assistant Deputy Ministers’ message: The Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct—Annual Report 2022 to 2023

We are pleased to present the Long Term Vision and Plan Annual Report for 2022 to 2023. This report provides updates on key activities undertaken in the past year in support of the Government’s long-term strategy to restore and modernize Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct.

The past few years have presented us with unique challenges, including a global pandemic and the 2022 occupation of Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa. During this reporting period, we also faced labour action in both the public and private sectors, which impacted work productivity. Despite these unexpected and wide-ranging issues, we have continued to make significant progress towards meeting our objectives. Our team has worked closely with Parliament, and our private sector partners to mitigate as much as possible the impacts of these risk factors.

The Auditor General in her spring 2023 audit of the Centre Block rehabilitation project underlined Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC)’s use of flexible management approaches to mitigate risks, and highlighted that this approach has been an important part of the department’s effective management of the program’s scope, schedule and budget, and in keeping the Centre Block rehabilitation project on schedule and within costs. The Auditor General’s report also noted that PSPC worked effectively with stakeholders and experts and that PSPC balanced the requirements of Parliament with the need for building code modernization and sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity upgrades with the protection of the building’s iconic heritage fabric.

The Centre Block rehabilitation project is the largest and most complex heritage restoration project ever undertaken in our country, and we take great pride in the work we are undertaking in partnership with Parliament. The Auditor General’s audit did, however, point out that the fragmented decision-making framework with Parliament has led to delays in decision-making. We will continue to work with Parliament to improve governance for the Long Term Vision and Plan. We will also follow the Auditor General’s recommendations to provide a semi-annual update to Parliament that will more transparently identify key decisions required to support the continued on schedule and on budget delivery of the program. Ensuring transparency and that Canadians can follow along with the progress being made on the Centre Block and other major projects is important to us. To that end, we are also working closely with the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) to document the important restoration work happening throughout Centre Block and look forward to sharing the first instalment of this in-depth documentary series with Canadians in Winter 2024.

The month-long illegal blockade that affected the Parliamentary Precinct and much of Ottawa’s downtown core did not only impact our ability to get important work done, it also highlighted the growing importance of better integrating Wellington Street and how it operates into the parliamentary campus. Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct must be a safe and secure environment in support of the effective operations of our country’s democratic institutions, and it must remain a place for all Canadians to enjoy and feel welcome. Defining the future of Wellington Street is a critical challenge and opportunity in the collective efforts of Parliament and Government, in collaboration with the City of Ottawa, to get this balance right.

While discussions on the future of Wellington Street continue, significant progress continues to be made in advancing our work to build a fully integrated parliamentary campus offering critical improvements in security, digital connectivity, sustainability, and universal accessibility. A key step in creating the parliamentary campus is the redevelopment of Block 2, which sits directly across from Centre Block, on the south side of Wellington Street. The redevelopment of the eleven buildings and two empty plazas will enable us to restore other deteriorated heritage buildings, such as the Confederation Building and East Block, and will enable us to consolidate parliamentary operations over the long term. In essence, the redevelopment of Block 2 will complete the fourth wall of the parliamentary square. The completion of a successful design competition, and work to get ready to launch a competitive process for the construction work has laid the foundation so that construction work will be able to launch in 2024.

As with the Centre Block rehabilitation project, the redevelopment of Block 2 will balance our commitment to ensuring Canada’s heritage is honoured and meeting Parliament’s operational needs while also working to transform the Precinct into a universally accessible and carbon neutral campus. To date, we have exceeded greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets, having reduced emissions 63% from the 2005 baseline, and are on track for a 96% reduction by 2040. Our work also offers powerful reconciliation opportunities, and over the past year we continued to have constructive conversations with Indigenous partners on a range of important topics from economic opportunities to incorporating Indigenous elements into these revitalized spaces. This work includes support to the development of the Indigenous Peoples Space and the creation of the Residential Schools National Monument within the Parliamentary Precinct.

Much has been accomplished over the past year, and as we look ahead, we remain focused on restoring and modernizing Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct so that it meets the needs of a 21st century parliamentary democracy, tells the evolving story of our country, and is a place where all Canadians feel welcome and come to celebrate, mourn and have their voice heard.