House of Commons, Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

Canon G7

The Canadian Parliament is formed by the Senate (Senators are mostly appointed and have their own "house" down the hall) and House of Commons (elected representatives). The large chair at the end of the chamber is for the Speaker of the House who presides over the proceedings and tries to maintain order amongst the unruly parties (there are four major parties in Canada: Conservative, Liberal, New Democrats and Bloc Quebecois along with a few independents --- the Green Party has yet to elect a member, but is working on it. . .). In this hand-held panorama, the leading party and Prime Minister (in February, 2009, the Conservatives led by Stephen Harper) occupy most of the seats on the left side of the chamber (to the right of the Speaker in his/her chair). The Parliament building was rebuilt in the 1920's after a devastating fire during World War I in 1916 destroyed the original building on the site. Canada's capitol building is neo-gothic in style, much like Britain's Parliament in London. For more about the buildings and the surrounding capital district, visit: www.canadascapital.gc.ca