Question Period Note: Centre Block Rehabilitation Program

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is implementing the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program and the continued construction of the Parliament Welcome Centre, a program of work unprecedented since the re-construction of Centre Block a century ago.

• PSPC is restoring and modernizing the Centre Block, Canada’s Parliament Building, so that it meets the needs of a 21st-century Parliament and is open and accessible to all Canadians for generations to come
  • A restored and rejuvenated Centre Block and the Parliament Welcome Centre will support the operations of a modern parliamentary democracy while at the same time providing enhanced security, inclusivity, and dignity for all who visit and work in these important spaces
  • This historic investment will showcase Canadian leadership and innovation, while creating over 70,000 jobs and economic benefits for companies across Canada.

If pressed on costs for Centre Block:

• The cost of rehabilitating Centre Block is driven primarily by the essential work required to meet building codes, to ensure the health and safety of Parliament and to restore the heritage elements of the space, as well as to modernize the building to meet Parliament’s functional requirements

If pressed on the Parliament Welcome Centre:

• The Parliament Welcome Centre will provide an enhanced experience for visitors and school groups, allowing more Canadians to visit the Parliament Buildings and actively engage in Canada’s parliamentary traditions and democracy, while also providing necessary space for parliamentary functions that cannot fit into Centre Block
• For the first time ever, Canadians and visitors will be able to travel a universally accessible path from the Centennial Flame to the Senate and House of Commons Chamber Galleries to view democracy in action
• The security and safety of our Parliament Buildings is crucial. The Parliament Welcome Centre will improve visitor screening by establishing facilities outside of the Centre Block footprint

If pressed on costing methodology:

• The cost estimates and construction schedules were based on lessons learned from completed projects and on benchmarking from similar projects, industry standards, design consultation with parliamentarians, and third party validation
• PSPC retained an internationally recognized, third-party cost-estimator to provide independent validation of the cost estimates for the project
• In addition, the design has benefited from an independent review process carried out in partnership with the National Capital Commission and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada

If pressed on continuing work during COVID:

• From the beginning of the pandemic, PSPC worked directly with the construction industry to develop the highest health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 onsite, including the use of rapid testing. To date, 3,200 rapid tests have been conducted

This historic project will create over 70,000 jobs with economic benefits for companies across Canada. At the project’s peak, over 1,500 construction workers will be on site daily. PSPC is also targeting 90% of the work delivered will flow to small and medium enterprises across Canada, with 5% of work to be carried out by Indigenous firms.

In addition to creating an enhanced experience for visitors, the new Parliament Welcome Centre will allow the number of Canadians able to visit Parliament to more than double from 350,000 per year to over 700,000.

PSPC is employing an integrated construction and design plan through which the project design is developed concurrently with major construction, a recognized best practice for a project like this. Despite the pandemic, work has progressed on schedule.

One of the first steps of the project was a detailed investigation of the building’s condition with the objective of reducing surprises and de-risking the project. Since then, careful demolition and abatement of hazardous materials inside the Centre Block is 50% completed. Outside the building, excavation of the new Parliament Welcome Centre is also 50% complete, and masonry work on the north façade has also begun.

Work is being carried out meticulously to protect Centre Block’s heritage elements. From intricate wood and stone carvings to historic lighting and paintings, over 20,000 heritage assets being individually assessed, catalogued, protected and conserved, either off site or in situ. Elements that cannot be removed, such as decorative plaster ceilings and some ornate stone and wood sculptures, will be covered and protected in their current location.

The modernization of information technology, as well as multimedia capabilities and facilities, will allow for enhanced broadcasting and videoconferencing capabilities in the Chambers and committee rooms. Considerations are also being given to consolidating parliamentary IT requirements, including interpretation services, outside the Centre Block but within the Parliamentary Precinct (see separate card on this topic). A pilot project is underway to assess technical feasibility, security, and safety of remote interpretation to support decision-making in an early 2022 timeframe. A decision is not planned before 2022.

The Centre Block will be transformed to a carbon neutral facility that is energy efficient and climate resilient. Core to this transformation is the enclosure of the 3 interior courtyards which will reduce the number of exterior walls, and thus significantly reduce energy requirements and leakage. In addition, the building will be equipped with modern systems to capture and repurpose wasted heat, as well as harvest and reuse rainwater and greywater.

Universal accessibility is at the core of the Centre Block design. It will offer an accessible, barrier-free path on all floors that includes:

• elevators that can accommodate a power-assisted wheelchair or stretcher
• gender neutral washrooms and barrier-free stalls within washrooms
• stairs with contrasting edge strips to aid the visually impaired
• Tactile walking surface indicators
• Intuitive wayfinding
• Accessible handrails
• Benches at rest areas
• Multiple height water fountains
• Braille signage

To date, PSPC has spent $3.5 billion in revitalizing the Parliamentary Precinct. Several iconic heritage buildings such as the West Block, the former Union Station, the former Bank of Montreal building, the former Metropolitan Life Building and the Library of Parliament have been restored and modernized. This work has created over 50,000 jobs in the local and national economies.

None