The Parliament Building of Quebec (, ) is an eight-floor structure and is home to the

National Assembly of Quebec The National Assembly of Quebec (, ) is the Legislature, legislative body of the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec in Canada. Legislators are called MNAs (Members of the National Assembly; ). The lieutenant governor of Que ...

(), in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, Quebec, Canada. The Parliament Building was designed by architect

Eugène-Étienne Taché Eugène-Étienne Taché, ISO (; October 25, 1836 – March 13, 1912) was a French Canadian surveyor, civil engineer, illustrator and architect. He devised Quebec's provincial coat-of-arms and motto ''Je me souviens''. As the son of cabinet m ...

in a

Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly Eclecticism in architecture, eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many differe ...

and built between 1877 and 1886, in the heart of Quebec's

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern bank of the Ottawa River that houses the Parliament of Canada in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. It accommodates a suite of Gothic revival buildings whose ...

. The National Assembly (or, as it was called until 1968, the Legislative Assembly) first met there on March 27, 1884, even though the building was only fully completed two years later, on April 8, 1886. From the 1910s to the 1930s, the government built several adjacent buildings to expand its office spaces, creating a parliamentary complex, of which the Parliament Building is the main edifice. This structure is a successor of several earlier buildings, the earliest of which was built in 1620 and among which there were two other parliament houses that served as legislatures. Geographically, the building is in the , in the district of Vieux-Québec–Cap-Blanc–colline Parlementaire, part of the borough of

La Cité-Limoilou La Cité-Limoilou () is the central borough of Quebec City, the oldest (in terms of architecture), and the most populous, comprising 19.73% of the city's total population. As an administrative division, it is very new, having only been formed ...

, just outside the walls of

Old Quebec Old Quebec (, ) is a historic neighbourhood of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Comprising the Upper Town () and Lower Town (), the area is a World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Administratively, Old Quebec is part of the Vieux-Québec� ...

. However, the Parliament Building, along with several adjacent buildings and terrain, have been declared a ''national historic site'' (), and as such taken away from the control of the provincial Ministry of Culture and Communications and municipalities. This designation notwithstanding, the province of Quebec is signatory to a long-term leasing deal (called

emphyteusis (Greek, 'implanting') or emphyteutic lease is a contract for land that allows the holder the right to the enjoyment of a property, often in perpetuity, on condition of proper care, payment of tax and rent. This type of real estate contract speci ...

) when it comes to the territory in front of the Parliament Building, that is, from the front entrance to the fortifications of the old town, as this parcel has belonged to the federal government since 1881.

History

Carte_du_fort_Saint-Louis_de_Quebec_par_Franquelin

Precursors

Fort and château Saint-Louis

In 1620,

Samuel de Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; 13 August 1574#Fichier]For a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see #Ritch, RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December ...

was ordered to stop further exploration of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

, of which he was

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, and instead was asked to engage solely in administration of the newly discovered lands. He therefore ordered the construction of a fort on

Cap Diamant Cap Diamant ( English: Cape Diamond) is a cape on an edge of the Promontory of Quebec and on which Quebec City is located, formed by the confluence of a bend in the St. Lawrence River to the south and east, and the much smaller Saint-Charles River ...

, the easternmost extremity of the

Promontory of Quebec In Quebec City, the term promontory of Quebec refers to the area on which is built the upper part of the borough of La Cité-Limoilou, including Old Quebec (where the promontory is referred to as Cap Diamant). This area covers the eastern hal ...

. Even as the short-lived governments of the and of the were substituted for a more stable

Company of One Hundred Associates The Company of One Hundred Associates ( French: formally the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France, or colloquially the Compagnie des Cent-Associés or Compagnie du Canada), or Company of New France, was a French trading and colonization company ch ...

in 1627, it was not until 1648 that the one-storey Château St. Louis, built by Governor

Charles de Montmagny Charles Jacques Huault de Montmagny (; c. 1583 to 1599 – 4 July 1657) was governor of New France from 1636 to 1648. He was the first person to bear the title of Governor of New France and succeeded Samuel de Champlain, who governed the colony ...

, became the first permanent official residence of the government of New France. However, by late 1680s, the construction was in a very poor state. A bigger residence on the foundations of the old one was built in 1694 by Governor Frontenac, and was finished thirty years later. The château was damaged during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

, but after some repairs, still remained a residence for government structures of the British administration, until Château Haldimand was built. A large fire destroyed the 1694 building in 1834. The site is today covered by the

Terrasse Dufferin Terrasse Dufferin (Dufferin Terrace) is a boardwalk that wraps around the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, Quebec, towards the Citadelle, overlooking the St. Lawrence River. History The terrace was built under the direction of the Marquess of ...

, in front of the

Château Frontenac The Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, commonly referred to as the Château Frontenac (), is a historic hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The hotel is situated in Old Quebec, within the historic district's Upper Town, on the southern side of Pl ...

Château Haldimand

Terrasse_Durham_-_Chateau_Haldimand_-_place_d_Armes_-_1864

In 1784, the governor of the

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

Frederick Haldimand Sir Frederick Haldimand, KB (born François Louis Frédéric Haldimand; 11 August 1718 – 5 June 1791) was a Swiss military officer best known for his service in the British Army in North America during the Seven Years' War and the America ...

, ordered the construction of a new building, which was completed three years later. It was a residence of the colonial government from 1786 to 1791, and then of the governors only, until 1811. The

Château Clique Lower Canada Tories is a general name for individuals and parliamentary groups in Lower Canada, and later in the Province of Canada's division of Canada East, who supported the British connection, colonialism, and a strong colonial governor. ...

, which had an outsized influence over Quebec's governance, met there regularly with the governor. Château Haldimand was demolished in 1892 to make way for the construction of the Château Frontenac.

Old Parliament Building

The Old Parliament Building was built in 1693-1695 by the bishop of the diocese of Quebec,

Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de St. Vallier (November 14, 1653 – December 26, 1727) was a French Catholic prelate who served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Quebec in the French colony of New France. Born in Grenoble, Fra ...

, as the seat for the bishopry, and is also therefore known as the Episcopal Palace of Quebec. However, its purpose was changed in 1777, when the government of the province of Quebec started renting the building from the Catholic Church. The Legislative Council, which was a largely advisory body, was seated there. Following the division of the old Province of Quebec into

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

and

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

by the

Constitutional Act 1791 The Constitutional Act 1791 (31 Geo. 3. c. 31) () was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of Great Britain which was passed during the reign of George III. The act divided the old Province of Quebec (1763–1791), Pro ...

, Quebec stayed as the capital of Lower Canada. It was at that time that the Canadas first received Westminster-style parliaments. In Lower Canada, the building that hosted the parliament, consisting of the Legislative Assembly and the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

, lower and upper houses respectively, was that building. It also hosted the office of the governor. The first sitting of parliament, after some reconstruction works, took place on December 17, 1792. The government attempted to gain ownership of the property from the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. After several unsuccessful attempts of negotiation with the archbishop, Bernard-Claude Panet, he eventually agreed to transfer the ownership rights in 1831 thus the building became colonial property in August 1832. It was subsequently rebuilt for the expansion of the government offices. After the

Lower Canada Rebellion The Lower Canada Rebellion (), commonly referred to as the Patriots' Rebellion () in French, is the name given to the armed conflict in 1837–38 between rebels and the colonial government of Lower Canada (now southern Quebec). Together wit ...

of 1837–1838, the parliament was suspended, and the governor-appointed Special Council sat in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. The Episcopal Palace was then briefly seat of the

Parliament of the Province of Canada The Parliament of the Province of Canada was the legislature for the Province of Canada, made up of the two regions of Canada West (formerly Upper Canada, later Ontario) and Canada East (formerly Lower Canada, later Quebec). Creation of the Parl ...

in 1852–1854, but it was fully destroyed in a fire on February 1, 1854. Other victims were the museum of the

Literary and Historical Society of Quebec The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) was the first historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of p ...

and half of the collection of the parliamentary library. The area that used to be the Episcopal Palace is now part of the

Parc Montmorency Parc Montmorency () is a park located in Quebec City and home to Parliaments of Lower Canada, Canada East and Quebec from 1791 to 1883. It is named for Henri II, Duke of Montmorency, the viceroy of New France, 1619–1625, under the Frenc ...

Post office

With the Old Parliament Building destroyed, the legislature was left with no building to operate in. They quickly accepted the offer of the

Sisters of Charity Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity in their name. Some ''Sisters of Charity'' communities refer to the Vincentian tradition alone, or in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (whose sisters are also of ...

to rent their convent as a temporary seat of parliament, but on May 3, 1854, during works on repurposing the building, another fire ruined the new wing of the house they intended to use as a meeting place for the legislature. They afterwards rented a courthouse and a music hall as an emergency solution, until in 1858, the city acquired the land with the ruins of the Old Parliament Building (it later became the ). The proceeds were then used to construct a small building first intended as a post office, but then it was decided to move the legislature and the government in that place. The Canadian legislature presided in the office from 1860 to 1865, and, after

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

, the provincial parliament occupied the building from 1867 to 1883, when it succumbed to a fire.

Construction of the current building

The government sought a bigger place to operate, in one building, thus the government proposed to build a new site in 1869. For this purpose, it bought lands that were occupied by a

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

college and demolished it in 1872. It also bought a parcel of land from the federal government in July 1876 for that purpose, and it is on these two lots of land that the new building, which was to host the government (including ministries), the legislature and the lieutenant governor's office, was constructed. The design works were assigned to

, an architect who was then working at the provincial ministry of public works. He chose to build a new seat for government and parliament in a building with a style harkening back to the

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define ...

, instead of the British-style architecture in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. Due to budget constraints, however, the building's Second Empire architecture was toned down somewhat from what was popular in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

; it was nevertheless called a "construction of the century", with up to 400 workers employed to erect the seat of parliament. The building process itself was marred with problems.

Simon-Xavier Cimon Simon-Xavier Cimon (December 4, 1829 – June 26, 1887) was a businessman and political figure in Quebec, Canada. He represented Charlevoix in the House of Commons of Canada as a Conservative member from 1867 to 1872 and from 1881 to 1887. ...

, the entrepreneur who won the contract to build the Parliament Building, was deeply unpopular. The workers, whose wages went down from 60¢ to 50¢ in 1878, went on

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) * Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm * Airstrike, ...

, demanding they be paid twice the sum. With tensions escalating, the employment of

strikebreaker A strikebreaker (sometimes pejoratively called a scab, blackleg, bootlicker, blackguard or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers may be current employees ( union members or not), or new hires to keep the orga ...

s failing and the then

Premier of Quebec The premier of Quebec ( (masculine) or eminine is the head of government of the Canadian province of Quebec. The current premier of Quebec is François Legault of the Coalition Avenir Québec, sworn in on October 18, 2018, following tha ...

, Henri-Gustave Joly, attacked on the street, the demonstrations were suppressed by the military in June 1878. In total, three more strikes occurred by the time the whole complex was built. After making minor concessions, the construction continued, so that by 1880, three wings of the building were completed. The legislature still met in the post office building. The second stage was started in 1883, after the parliament lost its operating space due to a fire, so they temporarily moved to the then-existing rooms of the Parliament Building, displacing some government offices. Members of the Legislature started their first legislative session in the new building on March 27, 1884. The builders also faced other problems in October 1884, a bombing damaged the construction site, and the government also experienced significant cost overruns. Despite that, the main construction was finished in time for the parliamentary session that started on April 8, 1886.

Following inauguration

After its opening, most of the works concerned the decorations of the building and around it. In 1888, a clock at the top of the tower was installed. Two years later, a fountain in front of the entrance, dedicated to the

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...

, was inaugurated. Four years after that, statues of various political and intellectual figures of importance to Quebec were mounted in niches in the walls of the building. The building initially hosted all major executive and legislative offices of the province of Quebec as well as the parliamentary library. However, by the turn of the century, the government decided to expand their working spaces and moved some of their offices to adjacent structures. The first was Édifice Pamphile-Le May, which was added in 1910–1915 to host the . It was also at that time that a parliamentary restaurant, , was opened in the courtyard (renamed in 1970). A decade later, the Édifice Honoré-Mercier was built to house several ministries, including the office of

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

, which was in the building from its construction until 1972 and from 2002 on.

Édifice Jean-Antoine-Panet Édifice Jean-Antoine-Panet () is an 8 floor office tower built in 1931, located in Quebec City, Quebec and is part of the complex of buildings of the Government of Quebec. The Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts building was designed by architect ...

and

Édifice André-Laurendeau Édifice André-Laurendeau () is an eleven-storey office tower located at 1050, rue des Parlementaires in Quebec City, Quebec. The Beaux-Arts structure was built between 1935 and 1937, designed by Lacroix, Drouin and Bergeron, and is the propert ...

were erected in the 1930s, for the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Agriculture, respectively. The latter building is now the main office of the lieutenant-governor. In 1985, the Parliament Building, along with several adjacent buildings and terrain, were declared a national historic site (), and as such taken away from the control of the provincial Ministry of Culture and Communications, and municipalities, to ensure operational independence. This was reaffirmed during changes to the law in 2011, though the term was changed to ''national heritage site'' (). In 2016-2019 a new entrance with enhanced security and additional space for parliamentary committees were built for $60.5 million.

Exterior

Overview

The eight-storey Parliament building is symmetrical and is composed of three parts. There are two side wings each with a small tower, one dedicated to Samuel de Champlain, explorer and founder of Quebec City, and the other to

Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve (15 February 1612 – 9 September 1676) was a French military officer and the founder of Ville-Marie, now the city of Montreal. Early life Maisonneuve was baptised on 15 February 1612 at Neuville-sur-Vannes ...

, founder of Montreal; and a 52-metre-tower placed between these two wings, which, in its turn, is named after

Jacques Cartier Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...

, who made first contact between the French and what is now Canada. The concept of decorations as thought by Eugène-Étienne Taché was to show an open history of Quebec on the wall of parliament, including statues and the heraldry. Until 2019, the main entrance was the original one, which could be accessed through either staircase going around greenery and a fountain with the statues of

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

; since then, however, the parliament is mainly accessible through a modernized space going through underground passages to the parliament, and the greenery was removed.

Statues

The front wall of the parliament building houses a total of 26 statues, which were ordered in 1886 and delivered in 1894 from

Louis-Philippe Hébert Louis-Philippe Hébert (; 27 January 1850 – 13 June 1917) was a Canadian sculptor. He is considered one of the best sculptors of his generation. Career Hébert was the son of Théophile Hébert, a farmer, and Julie Bourgeois of Ste-Sophie d ...

and eight other sculptors, all from Paris. Two of the statues represent allegorical themes (''Religion and Country'' and ''History and Poetry'') and are on either side of the tower; another two represent the indigenous people of Quebec (in this case, the Abenaki), while the rest honour important people in the

history of Quebec Quebec was first called ''Canada'' between 1534 and 1763. It was the most developed colony of New France as well as New France's centre, responsible for a variety of dependencies (ex. Acadia, Plaisance, Louisiana, and the Pays d'en Haut). Co ...

. Most of them are in the niches in the Parliament Building's outer wall. Samuel de Champlain's statue, as well as the ''History and Poetry'' allegorical statues are not shown here. File:Sculptures_de_Louis-Philippe_Hébert.jpg, ''The Nigog Fisherman'' File:Sculpture La halte dans la forêt, Assemblée nationale du Québec, Quebec ville.jpg, ''A Halt in the Forest'' File:Robert Baldwin Quebec.JPG,

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

File:Pierre Boucher 01.jpg,

Pierre Boucher Pierre Boucher de Boucherville (born Pierre Boucher ; 1 August 162219 April 1717) was a French settler, soldier, officer, naturalist, official, governor, and ennobled aristocrat in Nouvelle-France or New France (in what is now Canada). He is a d ...

File:Parlement quebec monuments.JPG,

Jean de Brébeuf Jean de Brébeuf () (25 March 1593 16 March 1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who travelled to New France (Canada) in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron for the rest of his life, except for a few years in France from 1629 to 1 ...

and

Nicolas Viel Father Nicolas Viel, Recollects, O.M.R., (died 25 June 1625) was a French Recollect missionary to the Hurons from 1623 to 1625. Biography Among the first missionaries sent by France to its colony, Viel traveled to Huronia (region), Huron terri ...

File:Guy Carleton Lord Dorchester 03.jpg,

Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 176 ...

File:James Bruce Lord Elgin.JPG,

James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, (20 July 181120 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat. He served as Governor of Jamaica (1842–1846), Governor General of the Province of Canada (1847– ...

File:Louis de Buade de Frontenac 02.jpg,

Louis de Buade de Frontenac Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS Louis, HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy Se ...

File:Pierre le Moyne sieur d Iberville.JPG,

Pierre Le Moyne Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana (New France), Louisiana in New France. He was bor ...

Sieur d'Iberville Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French ...

File:Louis Jolliet.JPG,

Louis Jolliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

File:Francois-Gaston Duc de Levis.JPG,

François Gaston de Lévis François-Gaston de Lévis, 1st Duke of Lévis (20 August 1719 – 20 November 1787), styled as the Chevalier de Lévis until 1785, was a French Royal Army officer. He served with distinction in the War of the Polish Succession and the War of th ...

File:Parlement du Québec, 850, Grande Allée Est, Québec façade, aile droite, partie gauche, étage supérieur 11-d.na.civile-72-8348.jpg,

(below) and the allegorical statues of Religion and Country (above) File:Monuments at the Parliament Building of Quebec 03.jpg, Marie of the Incarnation (left) and

Marguerite Bourgeoys Marguerite Bourgeoys, CND (; 17 April 162012 January 1700), was a French religious sister and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in the colony of New France, now part of Québec, Canada. Born in Troyes, she became part of a ...

(right) File:Jacques Marquette.jpg,

Jacques Marquette Jacques Marquette, Society of Jesus, S.J. (; June 1, 1637 – May 18, 1675), sometimes known as Père Marquette or James Marquette, was a French Society of Jesus, Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. M ...

File:Assemblée nationale du Québec - Wolfe et Montcalm.jpg,

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

(left) and

Marquis de Montcalm Lieutenant-General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm-Gozon, Marquis de Montcalm de Saint-Veran (; 28 February 1712 – 14 September 1759) was a French Royal Army officer best known for his unsuccessful defence of New France during the French and Indian W ...

(right) File:Francois de Montmorency Laval.jpg,

François de Montmorency François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 1 ...

File:Jean-Jacques Olier 02.jpg,

Jean-Jacques Olier Jean-Jacques Olier, S.S. (20 September 1608 – 2 April 1657) was a French Catholic priest and the founder of the Sulpicians. He also helped to establish the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal, which organized the settlement of a new town ca ...

File:Charles-Michel de Salaberry.JPG, Charles-Michel de Salaberry File:Jean Talon 01.JPG,

Jean Talon Jean Talon, Count d'Orsainville (; January 8, 1626 – November 23, 1694) was a French colonial administrator who served as the first Intendant of New France. Talon was appointed by King Louis XIV and his minister, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, t ...

File:Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Verendrye.JPG,

Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (17 November 1685 – 5 December 1749) was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader, and explorer. In the 1730s, he and his four sons explored the area west of Lake Superior and es ...

In addition to that, several monuments to famous politicians are scattered on the front lawn of the parliament. File:Assemblée nationale - Statue Robert Bourassa1.jpg,

Robert Bourassa Robert Bourassa (; July 14, 1933 – October 2, 1996) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd premier of Quebec from 1970 to 1976 and from 1985 to 1994. A member of the Liberal Party of Quebec, he served a total of just ...

File:Maurice Duplessis Quebec.JPG,

Maurice Duplessis Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, (; April 20, 1890 – September 7, 1959) byname "Le Chef" (, "The Boss"), was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 16th premier of Quebec. A Conservatism in Canada, conservative, Quebec nationalism, ...

File:Monument_Francois-Xavier-Garneau_04.JPG,

François-Xavier Garneau François-Xavier Garneau (June 15, 1809 – February 2 or February 3, 1866) was a nineteenth-century French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and liberal who wrote a three-volume history of the French Canadian nation entitled ''Histoire du Can ...

File:Adelard Godbout Quebec.JPG, Adelard Godbout File:Assemblée nationale - Statue René Lévesque2.jpg,

René Lévesque René Lévesque ( ; August 24, 1922 – November 1, 1987) was a Canadian politician and journalist who served as the 23rd premier of Quebec from 1976 to 1985. He was the first Québécois political leader since Confederation to seek, ...

File:Honore Mercier Quebec.JPG,

Honoré Mercier Honoré Mercier (October 15, 1840 – October 30, 1894) was a Canadian lawyer, journalist and politician in Quebec. He was the ninth premier of Quebec from January 27, 1887, to December 21, 1891, as leader of the Parti National or Quebec Libera ...

File:Monument Gandhi Quebec 01.jpg,

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

File:Monument en hommage aux femmes en politique 03.jpg, Monument in honour of women in politics Hotel_du_Parlement_du_Quebec_78

Heraldry

The Parliament Building has a total of 97 coats of arms, of which 87 are identified.

's and

's coat of arms appear over the statues of their founders. Several heraldic signs of the first lieutenant-governors of Quebec, as well as the names of prominent families of Quebec can also be seen on the front wall. The 1868 version of Quebec's coat of arms is above the old entrance to the building. In 1883, Taché carved the phrase below it, which is considered the first time the phrase was used as a motto. It became the official provincial motto in 1939, and is now used on standard

vehicle registration plates of Quebec The Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec first required its residents to register their motor vehicles in 1906. Registrants provided their own Vehicle registration plate, licence plates for display until 1908, when th ...

Fountains

The Parliament Building vicinity has two fountains the Fountain of the Abenaki () and the (). The former is located below the old main entrance to the building, along with two statues of the indigenous people, with ''The Nigog Fisherman'' being in the niche just above the water and the other statue above the fountain, in the place where two staircases meet. Built in 1890, it underwent a significant change from 2016 to 2019, when it was greatly reduced in size. The Fountain of Tourny is a relatively recent addition. Located on the roundabout on Honoré-Mercier Avenue, part of , it was first cast in 1853–1854. Two copies were displayed in

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

since 1858 and until 1960, when it was dismantled to construct an underground parking lot and due to rising costs of maintaining the fountain. One of them was acquired by a nearby

Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière Saint-Germain-de-la-Rivière (, literally ''Saint-Germain of the River''; ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Population See also * Communes of the Gironde department The following is a ...

municipality, while the other, after having been disassembled and cut in pieces, eventually went to an antique shop in

Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (; literally "Audoin (bishop), St. Audoin on Seine") is a Communes of France, commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. It is part of the Seine-Saint-Denis Department ...

, a Parisian suburb. In early 2000s, an entrepreneur in Quebec, Peter Simons, decided to renovate the figures, and donated the fountain to the city of Quebec. It was inaugurated on July 3, 2007, a year before the quadricentennial celebrations of founding of the city. File:Fountain in front of Parlement.jpg, Fountain of the Abenaki in 2009, before renovations File:Fontaine de Tourny, Quebec 02.jpg, Fountain of Tourny in 2018. Note the construction works in the background.

Interior

Parliamentary debate rooms

When the

Quebec Legislature Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

moved to the new building, there were two chambers: the Legislative Assembly, which sat in a room that is now commonly known as (Blue Room), and the

in the (Red Room). The former was originally white, but it was recolored twice: first in 1901, when it was repainted green, the traditional colour of the elected chamber of Westminster-style legislatures, and then in 1978 to blue, to facilitate the broadcast of debates on television. The Blue Room is the place where the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

conducts its regular sessions. It has 124 desks for the same number of members, separated by a corridor that leads from the main doors to the clerk's table, and further to the chair of the president of the National Assembly, whose seat is elevated on a pedestal. A painting by Charles Huot, , hangs behind the President's seat. A similar-looking Red Room used to be the place where the upper chamber presided, until it was abolished in 1968. It is now used for the works of parliamentary committees and for solemn occasions, such as administering

oaths of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Suc ...

. Unlike the Blue Room, however, the Red Room's furniture may be rearranged depending on the parliament's needs. The painting opposite the entrance to the room is Charles Huot's , which depicts a debate of the colonial government of New France. Renovations of the Blue Room are planned to start in fall 2024. The National Assembly decided to ditch the traditional Westminster layout of government facing the opposition in favour of a horseshoe outline of seats, similar to the arrangement used in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

. Until the renovation is finished in 2026, the MNAs will sit in the Red Room.

Flag Room

The Flag Room used to serve various purposes: it was used a press conference room (also called ''hot room'') and also served as a museum. From 1985, it has displayed eight flags that inspired the current design of the

flag of Quebec The flag of Quebec (), called the in Quebec French, French, represents the Canadian province of Quebec. It consists of a white cross on a blue background, with four white fleur-de-lis, fleurs-de-lis. It was the first provincial flag officially ...

, or the These flags include three from the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

, two naval

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

s, two Carillon flags and the current one. Flag of France (XII-XIII).svg, Banner of the Kingdom of France Bannière de France style 1700.svg, Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of France Pavillon LouisXIV.svg, Royal Standard of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

Drapeau de Saint-Malo (18è siècle, pavillon amirauté).svg, Ensign of the admiralty of Saint-Malo Pavillon de la France (17è siècle).svg, Ensign of the French royal trade navy, 17th century Banniere de Carillon (version de l'Assemblée nationale).svg, Carillon flag Drapeau du Québec 1948.svg, Carillon flag, modern version Flag of Quebec.svg,

''Hot room''

The press conference room (officially called and commonly referred to as "hot room", both in English and in French) is in the north side of the building. It was originally named so due to the heat that the cameras were emitting, but the name is sometimes interpreted as a reference to the heated atmosphere caused by numerous questions of journalists. Until 1976, it served as a bar. The "hot room" moved to its current location in mid-1980s.

restaurant

The restaurant was not built when the building was inaugurated, but during an expansion in 1910s, from Montreal and

Georges-Émile Tanguay Georges-Émile Tanguay (5 June 1893 – 24 November 1964) was a Canadian composer, organist, pianist, and music educator. An associate of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output is relatively small; consisting of 4 orchestral wor ...

from

proposed a new space for a canteen for members of parliament in a Beaux-Arts style, which was popular at the time. It was built in 1912-1917 and has continued to serve the same purpose since then. The restaurant was originally called (Parliament Café), but was renamed in 1970. The restaurant was initially open only to members of parliament, but it opened to the general public in 1968. In 2020, the facility closed for renovation. It notably hosted election campaign debates for the

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

and

2008 Quebec general election The 2008 Quebec general election was held in the Canadian province of Quebec on December 8, 2008. The Quebec Liberal Party, under incumbent Premier Jean Charest, was re-elected with a majority government, marking the first time since the 1950s ...

2016-2019 extension

In October 2014, a shooting at Parliament Hill occurred in Ottawa, which raised concerns about the security of the Parliament Building in Quebec. Accordingly, in November 2015,

Jacques Chagnon Jacques Chagnon (born August 28, 1952) is a retired Canadian politician who served in the National Assembly of Quebec from 1985 to 2018. A member of Quebec Liberal Party, he was appointed Minister of Education in 1994, when his party went back o ...

, president of the National Assembly, unveiled a $60.5 million project that envisaged the construction of an underground entrance with enhanced security features, as well as a new conference room and space for parliamentary committees. After three years of work, the new entrance was inaugurated in May 2019 and opened to the public on June 1 that year. The expansion was generally received positively. The , a provincial trade organization, gave an award to the planners of the expansion, lauding the preservation of architectural values in the building and increased accessibility; Olivier Vallerand, a professor of architecture at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

, similarly approved of the design. On the other hand, the expansion came at a cost of reducing the area occupied by the Abenaki fountain, a change some, including Gaston Deschênes, a historian who wrote a monograph on the Parliament Building, criticized as violating the will of the original architect.

Notable mentions

The Parliament Building was mentioned on one-dollar tokens issued for the

Quebec Winter Carnival The Quebec Winter Carnival (), commonly known in both English and French as Carnaval, is a pre-Lenten festival held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. After being held intermittently since 1894, the ''Carnaval de Québec'' has been celebrated ann ...

in 1984.