Speaker of the Senate
Speaker’s Statement – Centre Block Fire of 1916
Honourable senators, 100 years ago today at 9 o'clock in the evening on a bitterly cold night, a fire broke out in the reading room of the House of Commons.
Fed by newspapers and other documents kept there, the fire spread too quickly to be contained.
Within hours, it consumed the entire building. By early next morning, only a shell was left.
In one account the bell of the Victoria Tower tolled midnight a last time before crashing to the ground.
The fire not only destroyed the Parliament Building leaving just the Library unscathed, it also took the lives of seven individuals, including one MP and the Assistant Clerk of the House of Commons.
Despite the speed by which the fire spread, soldiers who had been ordered to the Hill to provide crowd control joined volunteers to save many of the furnishings while firefighters fought the blaze.
Of the objects lost, perhaps the most significant were the Black Rod of the Senate and the Mace of the House of Commons.
This devastating fire took place while Canada was engaged in the First World War. Indeed, rumours flew that the fire might have been an act of sabotage.
What is truly remarkable, however, is the great resilience shown after the fire. Rebuilding the Centre Block began within months and was largely completed within five years.
Parliament itself moved to its temporary location at the Museum of Nature the very next day and continued to meet there until the new building was completed.
Now a hundred years later, we remember this important event in our history. We regret the loss of an historic building, and we mourn those who perished in the fire. But, despite the great loss, we can also marvel at the determination shown to carry on with the work of Parliament. It is a reminder that however much we may cherish the buildings that respect our democracy, the true meaning of democracy actually lives in the will and determination of the people. This was demonstrated brilliantly one hundred years ago, and it remains true today.