Parliamentary Precinct: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—March 12, 2020

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Indigenous Peoples’ space: 100 Wellington

In this section

Commitment

Consistent with the minister’s mandate, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) will support the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to conclude the government’s contribution to the space for Indigenous Peoples in the Parliamentary Precinct.

Key messages

Background

PSPC is working with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNA), and the national representative organizations (Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Algonquin Nation) to transform the 100 Wellington Street and adjacent sites (119 Sparks Street and the infill area in between those buildings) into a national space for Indigenous Peoples.

Ottawa’s 100 Wellington Street building is a classified heritage building located directly across from Parliament Hill. The building was constructed in 1931 to 1932, and was occupied by the United States embassy until 1998, but has since remained vacant.

Following a nation-wide consultation in which over 7,000 participants were presented with options for the use of the building, it was announced that the building would be transformed into a national space for Indigenous Peoples. PSPC, CIRNA and national representative organizations have been working together to advance the initiative.

The minister for CrownIndigenous Relations and Northern Affairs is the lead for the relationship with the national representative organizations, who are leading the development of the vision for the space. The minister for Public Services and Procurement is responsible for supporting CIRNA and the national representative organizations through the planning, construction and delivery of the project.

100 Wellington and the adjacent areas are located in a city block facing Parliament Hill, bounded by Metcalf and O’Connor Streets (referred to as block 2). The property is therefore integral to PSPC’s plans for redeveloping the 3 city blocks facing Parliament Hill to support the long term accommodation requirements of Parliament and the Office of the Prime Minister, and the broader transformation of the precinct into an integrated campus that serves their needs.

To achieve construction and design efficiencies, PSPC intends to rehabilitate the existing heritage building as an integrated element within the overall redevelopment of block 2. More information on lock 2 is included in the briefing on the Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct.

Current status

At the request of national representative organizations, PSPC worked with CIRNA to develop a short-term use of the facility as an exposition, meeting and press space while the planning and development of its long-term permanent use is underway. PSPC delivered the short-term use as planned in June 2019. However, a lack of consensus between the national representative organizations and the Algonquin Nation on the long-term use of the facility has prevented it from opening.

The department will continue to work with CIRNA and national representative organizations in establishing a clear vision for the long term use of the space, which is intended to create an integral facility for Indigenous Peoples in the centre of the Parliamentary Precinct and make good use of the building, which has been vacant for nearly 2 decades.

Questions and answers

Question 1: What is the status of the work on 100 Wellington?

Answer 1: As announced by the Prime Minister, a new space for Indigenous Peoples will be established at 100 Wellington Street that reflects the vision of Indigenous Peoples and the spirit of reconciliation.

It is intended to be a national space for Indigenous Peoples, to be developed and governed by Indigenous Peoples.

The Government of Canada has been working in partnership on the next steps for the Indigenous Peoples’ space with a technical working group consisting of the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Métis National Council and the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council.

Since early 2019, CIRNA and PSPC have been working with the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council and the Algonquin Anishinabeg Nation Tribal Council on a short-term use concept of the Indigenous Peoples’ space to establish an Indigenous-presence in the building while work on the longer-term design and use is underway. PSPC completed construction of the short-term use space as planned in June 2019 but it is not yet open to the public, pending agreement among Indigenous partners.

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