The
Peace Tower is the most prominent part
of the buildings. It replaced the 55-metre
Victoria Tower, burned in the 1916 fire.
Like the entire interior and exterior
of the building, the tower is decorated
with approximately 370 stone carvings,
including gargoyles, grotesques, and freizes.
In 2012, the Centre Block is scheduled
to be closed for five years for an extensive
interior renovation. In preparation, the
other buildings are being renovated and
expanded first; the inner courtyards of
the West and East Blocks will be enclosed,
and temporary chambers for the Commons
and Senate installed. Every July 1, Canadians
gather on Parliament Hill to celebrate
Canada Day. During the summer months,
people gather to watch the Changing of
the Guard on the lawn in front of the
Parliament Buildings. A similar ceremony
is also performed at Rideau Hall, the
governor general's residence.
Canada's
memorial service to honour the victims
of the September 11, 2001 attacks in 2001,
which Prime Minister Jean Chrétien,
Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, and
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Paul Cellucci
presided over and over 100,000 attended.
[3] While the rest of the world saw the
service at the Washington National Cathedral,
this simultaneous service--which Prime
Minister Paul Martin called "the
largest single vigil" ever seen in
the nation's capital, was televised live
across Canada.
|
|
