The 336-square-metre chamber (3,600 square feet).
Nearly 15 metres above the floor ... a ceiling
The House had 245 MPs when Centre Block opened. A century later, the number is about to increase from 338 to 343.
The House has grown in numbers. But not in physical size.
The House of Commons chamber is meant to look the same -- but with more accessibility, modern acoustics, and better broadcasting infrastructure. And, with the ability to add seating as the number of MPs grows. **work continues on seating plan?** How to accommodate more MPs and keep the chamber's heritage desks, will MPs need to consider bench seating?
MPs want the "footprint of the size of the chamber" to remain the same, according to committee testimony from (former) deputy clerk Michel Patrice.
The Board of Internal Economy has an all-party working group looking at functional requirements for Centre Block as the project unfolds. Deputy Speaker Chris d'Entremont chairs the eight-member group.
Looking at items like: gallery seating, office space (which will be reduced), bigger MP lobbies, and a dedicated space for Indigenous ceremonial activities such as smudging and qulliq lighting.
King George VI, Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai
The Chamber itself is rectangular in shape, measuring approximately 21 metres in length and 16 metres in width. It is sheeted with Tyndall limestone as well as white oak and, like its counterpart at Westminster, is decorated in green36 (see Figure 6.3, “The House of Commons Chamber”). The 14.7-metre high ceiling is made of cotton canvas, hand-painted with the provincial and territorial coats of arms.
The floral emblems of the 10 provinces and 2 of the territories are depicted in 12 stained glass windows on the east, west and north walls of the Chamber.37 On the east and west walls, above the Members’ galleries and between the stained glass windows, is the noted British North America (BNA) Act series of sculptures. It consists of 12 separate bas-relief sculptures in Indiana limestone. Each one depicts, in symbolic and story form, the federal and provincial roles and responsibilities arising out of the BNA Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867).38
The addition of 30 desks posed a particular challenge given the physical constraints of the Chamber. The solution, modifying the configuration of the desks in the last two rows on both sides, was in place for the opening of the Forty-Second Parliament.
Overlooking the floor of the House on both sides and at both ends of the Chamber are galleries which can accommodate more than 500 people
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The Chamber was designed by architect John A. Pearson to seat 320 Members, with room for 580 spectators in overhanging galleries. Completion of the interior decoration continued for more than 50 years.
Designed in Gothic Revival style, materials included Tyndall limestone and white oak, with impressive displays of Canadian arts and crafts skill. More than 220 rough blocks of Indiana limestone were installed, to be carved later by William F.K. Oosterhoff and Dominion Sculptor R. Eleanor Milne.
Twelve high reliefs represent the federal and provincial responsibilities outlined in the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act). The Evolution of Life series represents prehistoric fauna and flora found in what is now Canada, an allusion to the harmony of nature and the duty of political parties to work in harmony.
The 12 stained glass windows were designed by R. Eleanor Milne and fabricated by Russell Goodman, using medieval techniques. They were installed as a Centennial project, each in four panels and including approximately 2,000 pieces of mouth-blown glass. Each represents the floral emblem and symbols from the coat of arms of a province or territory.
Follow the windows upward to behold the magnificent Chamber ceiling. Designed by the New York firm Mack, Jenney and Tyler, the linen canvas includes more heraldic symbols from the provinces and territories, with sumptuous detail and a gold-leaf cresting.
