Senate of Canada Building

Senate of Canada Building
Senate of Canada Building
Édifice du Sénat du Canada
	View from Rideau Street
Former names	Ottawa Central Station;; Ottawa Union Station;; Government Conference Centre; ;
General information
Type	Temporary legislative building
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
Address	2 Rideau Street
Town or city	Ottawa, Ontario
Country	Canada
Current tenants	Senate of Canada
Opened	1912
Renovated	2018
Renovation cost	$269 million
Client	Grand Trunk Railway
Owner	Government of Canada
Technical details
Floor area	7,387.7 square metres (79,521 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Bradford Gilbert
Designations	Classified Federal Heritage Building
Renovating team
Renovating firm	Diamond Schmitt Architects;; KWC Architects; ;
Main contractor	PCL Construction
Website
	The Senate of Canada Building

The Senate of Canada Building (French: édifice du Sénat du Canada) is a government building and former railway station that serves as the temporary seat of the Senate of Canada. Located at 2 Rideau Street in downtown Ottawa, it was known as Ottawa Union Station and served as the city's central railway station from 1912 until 1966. From 1966 to 2018, it was operated by the Government of Canada as the Government Conference Centre. The building currently includes a temporary Senate chamber, as well as some Senate offices and committee rooms.

It is situated at the intersection of Wellington Street and the Rideau Canal, across the street from the Château Laurier hotel (which was constructed around the same time). It is 600 metres (2,000 ft) from Parliament Hill and Confederation Square.^[2]

^ "Rehabilitating the Government Conference Centre and office accommodation". Public Works and Government Services Canada. Government of Canada. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
^ Paranjape, Avnee (May 16, 2019). "Will the West Block chamber change parliamentary culture?". Policy Options. Retrieved 11 April 2020. The two chambers now sit about 600 metres apart, which will likely affect how many MPs respond to the Usher of the Black Rod's traditional summons to Throne Speech or royal assent ceremonies. Furthermore, it is unclear whether there is a plan for how to shuttle members between buildings.

[1] "Rehabilitating the Government Conference Centre and office accommodation". Public Works and Government Services Canada. Government of Canada. July 20, 2015. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2020.

[2] Paranjape, Avnee (May 16, 2019). "Will the West Block chamber change parliamentary culture?". Policy Options. Retrieved 11 April 2020. The two chambers now sit about 600 metres apart, which will likely affect how many MPs respond to the Usher of the Black Rod's traditional summons to Throne Speech or royal assent ceremonies. Furthermore, it is unclear whether there is a plan for how to shuttle members between buildings.

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