Misplaced Pages

#699300

69-723: Built in the Victorian High Gothic style , the West Block has been extended twice since its original completion in 1865. Though not as renowned as the Centre Block of parliament, the West Block appears on the obverse of the Canadian five-dollar bill . Designed by Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver , the West Block is an asymmetrical structure built in the Victorian High Gothic style, with load bearing masonry walls, all clad in

138-519: A complete "economic autonomy" of the Canadian economy , Bourassa was instrumental in defeating Wilfrid Laurier in the federal election of 1911 over the issue of a Canadian Navy under the command of the British Admiralty , something he furiously opposed. In so doing, he aided the Conservative Party of Robert Borden in that election, a party with strong pro-imperialist sympathies. In

207-526: A free trade agreement with the United States. His government believed that this would cure Canada's ills and unemployment, which had been caused by a growing deficit and a terrible economic recession during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The agreement was drawn up in 1987 and an election was held on the issue in 1988. The Liberals, in a reversal of their traditional role, campaigned against free trade under former Prime Minister John Turner . The Tories won

276-670: A growing spirit of Romanticism and interest in the Medieval past led to a revival of Gothic styles in Britain. The style made its way to Canada during the early 19th century. One of the first appearances is in an 1811 proposal by Jeffry Wyatt for a new legislature in Quebec City . One of the first major Gothic Revival structures in Canada was Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal , which was designed in 1824 by

345-585: A large construction programme as the government and civil service established itself in Ottawa and across the country. Rapid growth of cities, especially in Ontario, saw most Christian denominations in most cities build major churches during this period. The downtowns of most Canadian cities are thus dotted with Gothic Revival churches. Canada's historic secular institutions, such as universities and museums, were also founded in this era of rapid growth. There are other reasons

414-524: A nationalist agenda to the forefront of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada . In spite of attracting thousands of new members to a declining party he was unsuccessful in taking over the leadership and preventing the merger with the former Canadian Alliance . Various activist/lobby groups such as the Council of Canadians , along with other progressive , environmentalist and labour groups have campaigned tirelessly against attempts to integrate

483-777: A new Québécois republic, a more accurate portrait of French-Canadian nationalism is illustrated by such figures as Henri Bourassa during the first half of the twentieth century. Bourassa advocated for a nation less reliant on Great Britain whether politically, economically or militarily. After Bourassa and during the Quiet Revolution , French-Canadian nationalism in Quebec evolved into Quebec nationalism . Quebec nationalists include sovereigntists , who believe Quebec should secede from Canada, and autonomists , who believe Quebec should hold extensive self-governing power within Canada. The goal of all economic and political nationalists has been

552-461: A new residence for the Governor General were each awarded separately and the team of Thomas Stent and Augustus Laver, under the pseudonym of Stat nomen in umbra , won the prize for the first category. Construction on all three blocks commenced by the end of 1859. By the time the West Block was completed in 1865, the building was three years behind schedule. The first tenants were the offices of

621-567: A popular Canadian nationalist party have failed, a phenomenon decried by Canadian philosopher George Grant in his seminal 1965 Lament for a Nation . Grant's thesis is that Prime Minister Diefenbaker's defeat in 1963 was the last gasp of Canadian nationalism and that the Canadian nation has succumbed to the continentalism of the United States. The National Party of Canada was the most successful of recent attempts to revive Canadian nationalism in an electoral party. Led by former publisher Mel Hurtig

690-623: A populist, anti-free trade stance. Conservative leader John A. Macdonald advocated an agenda of economic nationalism , known as the National Policy . This was very popular in the industrialized Canadian east. While the Liberal Party of Canada took a more classical liberal approach and supported the idea of an "open market" with the United States, something feared in eastern Canada but popular with farmers in western Canada. The National Policy also included plans to expand Canadian territory into

759-467: A restoration project was immediately implemented. The two largest towers were also stabilised with temporary steel structures for fear of stones falling off them. An $ 863 million project to completely renovate the West Block began in 2011, and the renovated building opened on 28 January 2019. In preparation for a planned, decade-long renovation of the Centre Block to begin in 2019, the central courtyard of

SECTION 10

#1732844720700

828-517: A rustic Nepean sandstone exterior and dressed stone trim around windows and other edges, as well as displaying a multitude of stone carvings , including gargoyles , grotesques , and friezes , keeping with the style of the rest of the parliamentary complex. The West Block adds to the Ottawa skyline three prominent towers: the Mackenzie Tower (added in 1878), the Laurier Tower (added in 1906), and

897-558: A style that is often known as Collegiate Gothic. The newer universities of western Canada, such as the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan , turned to traditional styles as they underwent large expansions. The older universities of Ontario also built several new Gothic Revival Structures. Gothic Revival finally almost completely disappeared after the Second World War, as Canada embraced Modern Architecture and

966-488: A whole. Canada has even been described as post-national , a description that some critics have argued runs counter to current trends in Europe and the United States. Prime Minister Trudeau, elected in 2015, has however espoused distinctly anti-nationalist sentiments during his tenure (or at least sentiments that are contrary to traditional nationalism). To the extent Canadians have embraced nationalism in recent years, it has been

1035-760: Is Massey College at the University of Toronto . Its materials and the elements of its design are fully modern; however, the form and arrangement of those materials directly quotes from the Gothic Revival structures on campus. Another is the Windsor Arms Hotel , also in Toronto. It is a modern Gothic styled skyscraper built on the base of an older Gothic Revival structure from the start of the 20th century. Prominent Gothic Revival buildings across Canada listed by province. [REDACTED] Category Canadian nationalism Canadian nationalism seeks to promote

1104-626: Is a myth that Canadians emerged from the war alienated from, and disillusioned with, the imperial connection." He argues that most English-speaking Canadians "continued to believe that Canada was, and should continue to be, a 'British' nation and that it should cooperate with the other members of the British family in the British Commonwealth of Nations ." Nevertheless, there are two possible mechanisms whereby World War I may have intensified Canadian nationalism: 1) Pride in Canada's accomplishments on

1173-575: Is a name given in retrospect to many of the major projects of the High Middle Ages . As this period covered the 13th and 14th centuries, there are no authentic Gothic buildings in Canada. The style was quite out of favour in the 17th century, when Europeans first began erecting structures in Canada, and the style is absent from the early settlements in New France and the Maritimes . In the 18th century,

1242-567: Is complete and the House returns to its traditional chamber, the new House chamber will be used as committee rooms. Gothic Revival architecture in Canada#Victorian High Gothic Gothic Revival architecture in Canada is an historically influential style, with many prominent examples. The Gothic Revival style was imported to Canada from Britain and the United States in the early 19th century, and it rose to become

1311-487: The 1988 Canadian federal election that focused on the then-proposed Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement , with Canadian nationalists opposing the agreement – saying that the agreement would lead to inevitable complete assimilation and domination of Canada by the United States. During the 1995 Quebec referendum to determine whether Quebec would become a sovereign state or whether it would remain in Canada, Canadian nationalists and federalists supported

1380-485: The Chanak crisis when, for the first time, the Canadian government stated that a decision by the British government to go to war would not automatically entail Canadian participation. Other historians robustly dispute the view that World War I undermined the hybrid imperial-national identity of English-speaking Canada. Phillip Buckner states that: "The First World War shook but did not destroy this Britannic vision of Canada. It

1449-519: The International Style . This was motivated by the prevailing fashion of the period, but also by economics and technology. The stark new structures of steel and glass were vastly cheaper than the often ornate stone constructions of the neo-Gothic style. The style thus almost completely disappeared. The rise of postmodern architecture , with its interest in history and place, has seen the occasional reintegration of Gothic Revival styles. One example

SECTION 20

#1732844720700

1518-613: The Quebec sovereignty movement . This Quebec sovereignty movement gained traction through the Quiet Revolution and burst on the Canadian scene in the latter half of the twentieth century. In 1970, radical sovereigntists under the FLQ sparked the October Crisis when they kidnapped the provincial Labour Minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James Cross in an effort to further the cause of Quebec sovereignty. Although this crisis soon abated,

1587-459: The Security and Prosperity Partnership and earlier talks between previous Canadian and US governments on " deep integration ". As of 2010 concerns regarding national unity have ebbed to some degree and nationalist sentiment among the population overall has increased. Even in Quebec, long a hotbed of secessionist sentiment, a large majority has emerged that expresses pride and loyalty toward Canada as

1656-583: The federal election of 1917 he was also instrumental in opposing the Borden government's plan for conscription and as a result assisted the Laurier Liberals in Quebec. His vision of a unified, bi-cultural, tolerant and sovereign Canada remains an ideological inspiration to many Canadian nationalists. Alternatively, his French Canadian nationalism and support for maintaining French Canadian culture would inspire Quebec nationalists , many of whom were supporters of

1725-755: The postmaster general , the Ministry of Public Works , and the Crown lands departments. As the number of parliamentary and administrative staff increased with the expansion of the country's area, more space was added to the West Block: the Mackenzie Wing and Tower in 1878 and, in 1906, the Laurier Tower and link. In the early 2000s, the masonry of the West Block was found to be in a state of severe disrepair. Scaffolding and protective sheeting were erected in order to prevent falling blocks from striking pedestrians and cars below and

1794-568: The "no" side while Quebec nationalists largely supported the "yes" side, resulting in a razor-thin majority in favour of the "no" side. Canadian nationalism in English-speaking Canada opts for a certain level of sovereignty for Canada vis-à-vis other sovereign states, while remaining within the Commonwealth of Nations . The Canadian Tories have historically exemplified this formulation of nationalism in their opposition to free trade with

1863-470: The Annex in Toronto, have many examples of houses that incorporate neo-Gothic elements. This includes a highly vertical emphasis on the structure; ornate decorations on the gables , often incorporating classic Gothic trefoil forms; and lancet windows and door frames. In rural Ontario the ubiquitous Ontario Cottage was often adorned with Gothic elements. The Gothic Revival style started to wane in popularity in

1932-551: The Buildings is the Gothic of the 12th and 13th Centuries, with modification to suit the climate of Canada. The ornamental work and the dressing round the windows are of Ohio sandstone. The plain surface is faced with a cream-colored sandstone of the Potsdam formation, obtained from Nepean, a few miles from Ottawa. The spandrils of the arches, and the spaces between window-arches and the sills of

2001-407: The Canadian economy and harmonize government policies with that of the United States. They point to threats allegedly posed to Canada's environment, natural resources, social programs, the rights of Canadian workers and cultural institutions. These echo the concerns of a large segment of the Canadian population. The nationalist Council of Canadians took a role of leadership in protesting discussions on

2070-599: The First World War Toronto saw work begin on three of its best known neo-Gothic structures, Casa Loma , the CHUM-City Building , and Hart House . While the three buildings were erected for completely different purposes, and a very distinct in style, they are all clearly Gothic in inspiration. In the years after the First World War , when the Gothic Revival was being supplanted in most of the world, Canada

2139-566: The First World War and, in particular, the Battle of Vimy Ridge , as marking "the birth of a nation." Some historians consider the First World War to be Canada's "war of independence." They argue that the war decreased the extent to which Canadians identified with the British Empire and intensified their sense of being Canadians first and British subjects second. This sense was expressed during

West Block - Misplaced Pages Continue

2208-479: The Gothic Revival style soon became permanently associated in most people's mind with ecclesiastical buildings. It was soon also embraced for secular purposes as well, such as government buildings and universities. Canadian universities modeled themselves on the great British universities, Oxford and Cambridge , and this extended to embracing the Collegiate Gothic architecture used in their construction. Two of

2277-501: The Gothic Revival style was almost universal among Christian religious buildings, it was less so among secular structures. Other revival styles were also popular. Romanesque Revival buildings were popular, as were neo-classical structures. No provincial legislature copied the style of the Parliament buildings. Even in Ottawa several federal government buildings of this period embraced other styles. Pure Gothic forms were mostly unsuited to

2346-422: The Gothic Revival style, of which long serving Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King was a strong supporter, for several decades. As the federal government expanded, two major civil service office buildings were built in the Gothic style just to the west of Parliament Hill in the 1930s. After the First World War some of the most prominent Gothic Revival structures were constructed by Canada's universities, in

2415-458: The Gothic styles became so widespread in Canada. The steep roofs and thick stone walls were well suited to Canada's northern climate. In the United States architects liked to link their republic to those of Ancient Greece and Rome through the neo-classical style. Canada's Loyalists had no such leanings, and the English-Canadian elite was strongly Anglophilic and monarchist. Gothic architecture

2484-526: The Irish-American James O'Donnell . The largest church in North America upon its completion, it was one of the first architectural works of international note to be built in Canada. It was also one of the first Catholic Gothic Revival structures, as the movement would not spread from Britain to France and continental Europe until several years later. As the most prominent church in the colony, its form

2553-660: The Nationals received more than 183,000 votes or 1.38% of the popular vote in the 1993 election . Infighting however led to the party's demise shortly afterwards. This was followed by the formation of the Canadian Action Party in 1997. Created by a former Liberal Minister of Defence, Paul Hellyer , the CAP has failed to attract significant attention from the electorate since that time. An organic farmer and nationalist activist from Saskatchewan named David Orchard attempted to bring

2622-522: The Southwest Tower. The Department of Public Works sent out, on 7 May 1859, a call for architects to submit proposals for the new parliament buildings to be erected on Barrack Hill , which was answered by 298 submitted drawings. After the entries were narrowed down to three, then Governor General Sir Edmund Walker Head was approached to break the stalemate and the winner was announced on 29 August 1859. The departmental buildings, Centre Block , and

2691-507: The United States following the failure of the rebellion. Afterwards Canadian patriots began focusing on self-government and political reform within the British Empire. This was a cause championed by early Liberals such as the Reform Party and the Clear Grits , while Canada's early Conservatives, supported by loyalist institutions and big business, supported stronger links to Britain. Following

2760-522: The United States, stemming from a fear of economic and cultural assimilation. On the other hand, French Canadian nationalism prioritizes the preservation of the Québécois nation. This French-Canadian nationalism has existed ever since the conquest of New France in the mid-eighteenth century. Although radical French-speaking reformers in the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 supported the creation of

2829-454: The West Block was transformed into a temporary chamber for the House of Commons . The new chamber is surrounded by formerly exterior stone walls and covered by a glass roof. Multiple underground levels as well as planned tunnel connections to other Parliament Hill buildings were constructed out of dug-out bedrock under the West Block during the extensive renovations. When the renovation of Centre Block

West Block - Misplaced Pages Continue

2898-409: The achievement of constitutional independence in 1867 (Confederation) both of Canada's main parties followed separate nationalistic themes. The early Liberal Party of Canada generally favoured greater diplomatic and military independence from the British Empire while the early Conservative Party of Canada fought for economic independence from the United States. Starting before Confederation in 1867,

2967-423: The agreement received 51% of the vote, showing opposition from a clear majority of the population. The impact of World War I on the evolution of Canada's identity is debated by historians. While there is a consensus that on the eve of the war, most English-speaking Canadians had a hybrid imperial-national identity, the war's effects on Canada's emergence as a nation are complex. The Canadian media often refers to

3036-667: The battlefield demonstrably promoted Canadian patriotism, and 2) the war distanced Canada from Britain in that Canadians reacted to the sheer slaughter on the Western Front by adopting an increasingly anti-British attitude. Still, Governor General The Lord Tweedsmuir raised the ire of Canadian imperialists when he said in Montreal in 1937: "a Canadian's first loyalty is not to the British Commonwealth of Nations , but to Canada and Canada's King ." The Montreal Gazette dubbed

3105-597: The bill was introduced. In 2022, the provincial government introduced An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec which would greatly expand the requirement to speak French in many public and private settings. The government has justified both of these measures, which are strongly opposed in the English-speaking provinces, as necessary to preserve the secularism and the French language that are central to Québécois nationalism. Modern attempts at forming

3174-545: The broader Québécois nationalism continued to decline in the early twenty-first century. Under the Coalition Avenir Québec government, Québécois nationalism has risen in a new form. In 2019, the provincial government passed Act respecting the laicity of the State . It prohibits the wearing of religious symbols by certain public employees in positions of authority and grandfathers in those who were already in office when

3243-560: The church leadership favoured a neo-baroque style more closely linked to the architecture of New France . The Victorian High Gothic period also saw a willingness to combine the neo-Gothic with other styles. Two important examples of a mix between Gothic and Romanesque styles are University College in Toronto and the British Columbia Parliament Buildings . Variations on the neo-Gothic style developed in Britain were also imported to Canada. The Scottish baronial style

3312-458: The creation and then maintenance of Canadian sovereignty. During Canada's colonial past there were various movements in both Upper Canada (present day Ontario ) and Lower Canada (present day Quebec ) to achieve independence from the British Empire . These culminated in the failed Rebellions of 1837 . These movements had republican and pro-American tendencies and many of the rebels fled to

3381-462: The day to day requirements of residential and commercial properties; however, neo-Gothic ornamentation and principles were successfully adapted to these uses, and these structures became quite popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In rural areas the Gothic Cottage was immensely popular until well into the 20th century. Neighbourhoods that grew during this period, such as Cabbagetown and

3450-453: The debate between free trade and protectionism was a defining issue in Canadian politics. Nationalists, along with pro-British loyalists , were opposed to the idea of free trade or reciprocity for fear of having to compete with American industry and losing sovereignty to the United States. This issue dominated Canadian politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the Tories taking

3519-542: The election with a large majority, partially due to Mulroney's support in Quebec among Quebec nationalists to whom he promised "distinct society" status for their province. After the election of 1988 , opponents of free trade pointed to the fact that the PC Party of Brian Mulroney received a majority of seats in parliament with only 43% of the vote while together the Liberal Party and New Democratic Party both of whom opposed

SECTION 50

#1732844720700

3588-420: The first Gothic Revival colleges were Trinity College in Toronto and Bishop's University in Quebec. In the later half of the 19th century, Gothic Revival architecture became the dominant style for major Canadian buildings. As the style became accepted and popular, architects became more willing to experiment and modify its conventions. While previous Gothic Revival architects had attempted to closely recapture

3657-681: The late 19th century, with grandiose railway hotels such as the Château Frontenac and Banff Springs Hotel . It mixed Gothic Revival with elements borrowed from the castles of the Loire in France. Gothic Revival became the dominant style of Canadian civic architecture largely as a matter of timing. The mid and late 19th century was the period that the Canadian state was formed and when many of its secular and religious institutions were established. Canadian Confederation occurred in 1867, and subsequent years saw

3726-525: The late 19th century. New technologies such as steel building frames, elevators, and electric lighting were having a considerable impact on how buildings could be used and constructed. Newer styles such as the Beaux-Arts and Art Deco came to prominence. However, this was much less true in Canada. Gothic Revival architecture continued to be one of the most important building styles well into the 1940s, though often in highly modified and original forms. Just before

3795-411: The most popular style for major projects throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Gothic Revival era lasted longer and was more thoroughly embraced in Canada than in either Britain or the United States, only falling out of style in the 1930s. The period during the late 19th and early 20th centuries was also a time when many major Canadian institutions were founded. Throughout Canada, many of

3864-465: The most prominent religious, civic, and scholastic institutions are housed in Gothic Revival style buildings. During the 1960s and 1970s, several scholars (most notably Alan Gowans) embraced Canadian Gothic Revival architecture as one of the nation's signature styles and as an integral part of Canadian nationalism . While largely abandoned in the modernist period, several postmodern architects have embraced Canada's neo-Gothic past. Gothic Architecture

3933-470: The same year work began on Notre-Dame. In the 1830s and 1840s, four prominent neo-Gothic churches were built in Quebec City , representing each of that city's major Protestant denominations. By the 1840s, the Gothic Revival style had become virtually universal among Anglicans and was used for most other Christian denominations as well. As in much of the English speaking world, the lancet windows and buttresses of

4002-526: The same, but their arrangement was uniquely modern. The Parliament Buildings also departed from Medieval models by integrating a variety of eras and styles of Gothic architecture, including elements of Gothic architecture from Britain, France, the Low Countries, and Italy all in one building. In his Hand Book to the Parliamentary and Departmental Buildings, Canada (1867), Joseph Bureau wrote, "The style of

4071-484: The sovereignty movement continued. Quebec held two referendums about whether the province should separate from the rest of Canada; the Canadian federalists defeated the Québécois separatists in the 1980 Quebec referendum by a margin of 59.56% to 40.44% and narrowly won again in the 1995 Quebec referendum by a margin of 50.58% to 49.42%. This second referendum marked the high water mark of the Quebec sovereignty movement and

4140-505: The statement "disloyal." Another early source of pan-Canadian nationalism came from Quebec in the early 20th century. Henri Bourassa , Mayor of Montebello and one-time Liberal Member of Parliament created the Canadian Nationalist League (Ligue nationaliste canadienne) supporting an independent role for Canada in foreign affairs and opposed Canadian dependence on either Britain or the United States. A prominent supporter of

4209-515: The style of the Middle Ages, the new architects retained the Medieval motifs, but recombined them in entirely new ways. One of the most important examples of this style anywhere in the world were the Parliament Buildings designed by Thomas Fuller . While the style and design of the building is unquestionably Gothic, it resembles no building constructed during the Middle Ages. The forms were

SECTION 60

#1732844720700

4278-740: The unity, independence, and well-being of Canada and the Canadian people. Canadian nationalism has been a significant political force since the 19th century and has typically manifested itself as seeking to advance Canada's independence from influence of the United Kingdom and the United States. Since the 1960s, most proponents of Canadian nationalism have advocated a civic nationalism due to Canada's cultural diversity that specifically has sought to equalize citizenship, especially for Québécois and other French-speaking Canadians, who historically faced cultural and economic discrimination and assimilationist pressure from English Canadian-dominated governments. Canadian nationalism became an important issue during

4347-462: The upper windows, are filled up with a quaint description of stonework, composed of stones of irregular size, shape and colour, very neatly set together." This style was also embraced for religious architecture. In most towns in Ontario, and also in many parts of the newly settled west and the Maritimes, elaborate High Gothic churches were built. Unlike in the earlier era, the French Catholic church in Quebec did not embrace this style. During this period

4416-436: The western prairies and populate the west with immigrants. In each "free trade election", the Liberals were defeated, forcing them to give up on the idea. The issue was revisited in the 1980s by Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney . Mulroney reversed his party's protectionist tradition, and, after claiming to be against free trade during his leadership campaign in 1983 , went forward with negotiations for

4485-442: Was also experiencing greatly strengthened Canadian nationalism . For the first time the Canadian political and cultural elite began to seek a path distinct from that being followed in the United Kingdom and United States. As so many notable Canadian structures were Gothic Revival in style it became closely linked to Canadian identity, and was embraced by the new Canadian nationalism. Perhaps the most important Gothic Revival structure

4554-479: Was employed by Chief Dominion Architect David Ewart to create a number of castle like structures in Ottawa. New materials were also incorporated. Cast iron allowed stronger structures with thinner supporting walls to be built, while some recreated gothic forms in brick, rather than the traditional stone or wood. One style that rose to special prominence was the Château Style of Canada's grand railway hotels , also known as Railway Gothic. This style first appeared in

4623-463: Was much imitated by local church builders, who constructed miniature versions of the basilica across Quebec. Protestants also embraced the style. As early as the late 18th century, certain Gothic elements had appeared in a church in Nova Scotia, though the Georgian and Neo-classical styles remained dominant for several decades. The first stone neo-Gothic structure in the Maritimes is St. John's Church in Saint John, New Brunswick . It dates to 1824,

4692-426: Was seen as symbolic of this. In the late 19th century as Canada began to see an influx of Southern and Eastern European immigrants, the nativist backlash also embraced Gothic Revival architecture as emblematic of Canada's identity as a homeland for the "northern race." In French Canada the civic and religious authorities of the 19th and early 20th century also embraced a strident conservatism. While during this period

4761-444: Was the new Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament. The Gothic Revival monument of Thomas Fuller was destroyed by a fire in 1917. Despite the half a century that had elapsed since the first parliament was built, the Gothic Revival style was still the obvious choice to the Canadian Government. The new building had several important differences from the old one, most notably the new Peace Tower . The federal government continued building in

#699300