Ottawa, .

A Series View Book. Canad•an Hou:.es of Parl ~olmen t , Dominion Parliament Buildings Ottawa, Canada Very few people are aware of the incidents leading up to the final selection of Ottawa as the permanent capital of the Dominion. Ottawa had a long and desperate fight for recognition and victory only came at the end of several years bitter controversy, during which manv political revolutions occurred. Toronto, Quebec. Hamilton, Montreal and Kingston workcJ strenuoush• alongside with Ottawa to be selected as the premier city of the Dominion. The choice of selec­ tion was left in the hands of Queen Victoria, who chose Ottawa to be the capital of Canada because, as the official letter said: "the city of Ottawa combines more advantages than any other place in Canada for the permanent seat of the future Government of Canada ... The comer-stone of the old buildings was laid by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VI I. in 1860. and in 1.~117 the initial session of Parliament was held in the new buildings, the Government of the day having Sir John A. 1\ lacDonald as the first Premier of the Dominion of Canada These beautiful gothic buildings were destroyed by fire on February 3rd, !Cll6. The build­ ings were rich in historic memories, bound up with much patriotic sentiment and were saturated with all the traditions usually associated with verv dear national possessions. The work of reconstruction of the Houses of Parliament began soon after the fire, and to Mr Pearson. an architect ofToronto, the great task was allotted of bringing to the new buildings the semblance of the old buildings, but emhoJying all the beet fc~turcs of modem architecture and construction while at the same time adding an addition>~! story to the building. The corner­ stone was laid on September lst, 1916, by HR.H the Duke of Connaught and on the 2nd of July, 1917, His Excellency the Duke of Devonshire dedicated the central column of the main inner hall while the corner-stone of the Tower was laid by HR.H. the Prince of Wales on September 1st, 1919. The materials used in the building and the workmanship which has gone to its erec- ::on have been drawn not completely, but in great measure from Canadian sources, about ooc-c of the bu.lding and furnishings are Canadian. The entire exterior is faced with Nepean sandstone, a material quarried near Ottawa. The entire weight of heavy masonry employed rests on solid rock, so that the steel structure which has been used has only been the framework. The greater portion of the ,·ery beauttful mtenor stone-work is of Tyndal limestone from the Winnipeg district-a material which has lent itself admirably to the purposes of the architect. The Victory Memorial Tower, two hundred and ninety-five feet high, is an imposing feature of the new Houses of Parliament at Ottawa. In it is a of fiftv-three bells. The clock is sixteen feet in dtameter. The walls of the Memorial Chamber, dfrectly above the entrance , are lined with Chateau Galliard marble, a gift from France. The floor is paved with stone from Belgium and France. The Altar of Sacrifice, a block of English marble will stand in the centre of the chamber, and on it will repose the Book of Remembrance. This book will contain the names of more than sixtv thousand Canadian citizens who died in the Great War. The Belgian marble bases, in the four comers of the Chamber, were set m place at cHfcrcnt times with simple ceremonies by Field Marshal Earl Haig, late Commander of all British Forces m France and Belgium; by Baron Byng of Vimy, Governor-General of Canada. and at one time in command of the Canadian Army in France; by the Right Honorable \\' L. 1\ lackcn=te King. and by the Right Honorable . Inside the Commons Chamber is a magnificent example of the wood-carver's art as seen ir the Speaker's Chatr, which is a rcpltcu of the one in use in the Britt'h House It O\Trb•b the chamber and seems svmbolic of the dignity of democratic Gm·cmment. The Rm .1\ .-\rms. which surmounts the canopv. are carved from the old oaken beams from the roof of \\'cstm,nstcr Hall. This chair is thirteen kct six inches high and is the gift to Canada of the United Kinudom Branch of the Em~'trc Pclfh"rrcntarv A"ociation. "' The i\ bees presented to the Canadian Ho• tse of Commons are copied from the famous old !\L,_,, ·· 1 he .-\nCJent Tc~wn of Rve. The mace ts the symbol of power .:md. when la:d on the tabk <>f the House. the Cummons arc then in ,C>'tOn Fathers of ConfederatLon. 1 Ths Duke of CnnnJught ··~ l ay•ng the Cor l(lf str•'IS or tl•e de..,t• _j a 1 ·l•m 1t "iup nior st 1Q (, wh ···h was Ol'tiJI~ah., !.1 d iJyo K;nQ Edward VII t • I rne ·1- ' ~

t.anadta.n Houses of Parltament rron1 MaJor Hill Park Bells and M emor1al Chamber. Pe'ice T ower show1ng pos1t1on of MJon Entr.Jntt• untltH Pcdt t.> Tower On o• ther Stdu •S J hun ant1 unu urn t IH'-tllltHI •II !>tune On the kevstono of the Arch •s a crown wtttl a tla• krtroun·l of maf•le leaves w•lh the Shteld·. of th~ PriiVtnces Surrovnl'1•nu ~ an ornamental nand on wh•rh are rtestyneft leavo c.Jf CJndri Jfl trA&S tnoelllf>cr wolh tht> Rose Th ts tle ltl y and Shamror k Confederat•on Hall Hall of Fame Ma1n E..n r3n a tr tht' IJ e A ~ Canarla Coat of A: Canad1an Gov't Photo ,, h :, nat Ch.trnher Ln 1lur 1 ~b • n Canadian Gov't. Photo Speaker's Cha•r 1n Commons Chamber. Se nate Throne The M ace of the Commons Chamber.

The Mace of the Senate Chamber The Memonal Chamber 1n the Peace Tower The M emonal Chamber •n the Peace Tower ..

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