Centre Block Construction Update (2025)

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[Music plays]

(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

[Drone shot of Peace Tower and waving Canada flag, below you can see the excavated pit and the Parliament lawns.]

[Drone shot of Peace Tower clock.]

The Centre Block is undergoing the most complex heritage rehabilitation project of its kind.

[Shot of workers with large beam in front of Centre Block, preparing it to be lifted to the roof.]

[Shot of worker in a room mixing pink material inside a small container.]

[Shot of that same worker brushing the pink material on a sculpture element.]

[Shot of workers on the ground in front of Centre Block with a large beam.]

[Wide drone shot of the north side of Centre Block, you can see all of Centre Block, parts of the building are wrapped in tarps, and there are 2 large cranes at each end of the building.]

[Shot of a crane in front of Centre Block lifting a large beam to the roof.]

Public Services and Procurement Canada is leading the effort to restore and modernize the building, preserving its legacy while transforming this iconic site to meet the needs of a 21st-century parliamentary democracy.

[Timelapse shot of crane inside the excavation pit moving material in front of Centre Block.]

Let’s explore the major accomplishments between April 2024 and March 2025.

[Shot of the north tower covered by scaffolding with a large crane behind and above it.]

[Shot of workers with protective suits working on fireplace.]

[Wide shot of construction site and item being lifted by a crane.]

[Closeup shot of sculpture being cleaned.]

The project has three distinct phases: ‘deconstruct’, ‘rebuild’ and ‘fit out’.

[Screen divided into three shots: at the top workers are in protective suits, in the middle scaffolding is setup inside one of the top floors in Centre Block and at the bottom workers in protective suits drilling concrete.]

(Text on screen: Deconstruct)

Last year, we completed the ‘deconstruct’ phase, where the Centre Block was carefully stripped to its structural elements and the excavation for the Parliament Welcome Centre was completed.

[Screen divided into three shots: at the top you see a wide shot of the excavation pit in winter with material covered in orange tarps, in the middle shot there are steel beams against the side concrete walls, and at the bottom there is heavy machinery excavating stone into a dump truck.]

(Text on screen: Rebuild)

Fast forward to today, we have entered the ‘rebuild’ phase, where we are bringing the vision to life with structural upgrades and construction, laying the foundation for the next stage.

[Screen divided into three shots: at the top a worker is doing restoration work on a fresco mural, in the middle there are bells from the Peace Tower arranged on floor and at the bottom a man is cleaning a sculpture.]

(Text on screen: Fit out)

The final phase, or ‘fit out’, will include installing the finishing details, and will also celebrate the return of heritage assets to these restored spaces.

[Green, white and black rectangle animation.]

[Wide drone shot of south side of Centre Block in the winter.]

[Wide drone shot of west side of Centre Block in the winter.]

As part of the rebuild phase, we reached a significant milestone in the fall of 2024 when we started building the structure for the Parliament Welcome Centre.

[3D animation showing the finished Parliament Welcome Centre.]

[3D animation showing interior of the Parliament Welcome Centre.]

(Text on screen: Conceptual Design, Design conceptuel)

This new underground facility is key to making Parliament more secure, open and accessible.

[Shot of the top of a crane and overcast sky.] 

[Shot of cement being poured.]

[Shot of workers working in the excavation pit in winter with material covered in orange tarps.]

Work on the Parliament Welcome Centre includes pouring concrete for footings, walls, stairs and elevator shafts.

[Shot of crane being assembled.]

[Shot of workers assembling crane.]

[Wide shot of excavation site looking towards East Block.]

To help with this, new cranes have been installed in the excavation site to move materials and equipment.

[3D animation of Centre Block showing where the five cranes will be placed.]

In spring 2025, there will be a total of five cranes on site, three of those dedicated to supporting construction of the Parliament Welcome Centre.

[Shot of workers using large drill inside Centre Block.]

[Close-up shot of the large drill inside Centre Block.]

[Shot of the large drill inside Centre Block.]

Inside the Centre Block, crews are busy gearing up for a massive dig to expand the basement levels.

[2D image of Centre Block and the Parliament Welcome Centre.]

This excavation is an important step in connecting the Centre Block to the Parliament Welcome Centre.

[Shot of workers rolling wheelbarrows inside Centre Block.]

[Shot of posts in basement.]

We have completed a substantial portion of work to structurally reinforce the building.

[3D image of Centre Block showing the structural reinforcement under Centre Block.]

This allows for work to begin on excavating down from the west courtyard in spring 2025.

[Green, white and black rectangle animation.]

[Shot of large drill in the basement.]

[Shot of the north tower covered in scaffolding and a crane lifting a large beam to the roof.]

[Shot of workers standing on scaffolding on the roof while a large beam is suspended by a crane at roof level.]

From the basement to the rooftop, our work spans every level. Before installing a new roof, we are first building roof enclosures to protect the Centre Block and to provide construction access.

[Shot of interior bracing inside the roof.]

Bracing will be installed to support the structure as the old roof is removed and rebuilt.

[Shot of interior bracing and brick walls.]

There will also be bracing added on the upper levels of the Centre Block to support the structural rebuild.

[Shot of worker using a laser to clean exterior stones.]

[Shot of worker using chisel and mallet on exterior stones.]

[Shot of worker mixing concrete that will be applied on the exterior stones.]

[Shot of worker filling cracks between the exterior stones.]

[Green, white and black rectangle animation.]

On the outside the building, we started work in 2023 on the east and west façades and we have completed about 20% of the overall exterior masonry scope.

[Wide drone shot of south side of Centre Block.]

[Wide drone shot looking towards the west side of Centre Block.]

[Shot of Peace Tower with a worker climbing up a crane in the foreground.]

This monumental rehabilitation will ensure the Centre Block is more accessible, sustainable, and equipped to support the needs of a modern Parliament for generations to come.

[Drone shot of Peace Tower and waving Canada flag.]

[Shot of the Centre Block project website.]

[Shot of the video gallery on the Centre Block project website.]

To learn about this project in more detail, be sure to visit the photo and video galleries on the Centre Block Project website. 

(Text on screen: Check us out, Facebook: /PSPC.SPAC, YouTube: PSPC_SPAC, X: @pspc_spac, Instagram: @pspc_spac)

(Text on screen: ISBN 978-0-660-76376-7, Catalogue P4-124/2025E-MP4)

[Music stops]

(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)

(Canada Wordmark)

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