Recommendations

We, the members of the Parliamentary Buildings Advisory Council, therefore recommend to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada that Cabinet Authority be sought at the earliest opportunity to proceed with plans for renovation and construction of buildings within the Parliamentary Precinct in accordance with the actions and schedule contained in Option C of the report A Legacy for Future Generations - The Long-Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct. In particular, the Advisory Council recommends that Scenario 1 of Option C be pursued and that a commitment be made to complete all projects and activities proposed for the first seven-year phase. We urge that priority be given to construction of the proposed Bank Street Building.

The Advisory Council endorses the common geographic definition of the Precinct. We believe all Members of the House of Commons and Senate should have office space and Committee rooms available within this defined precinct.

At the same time, we urge the people of Canada to engage their Members of Parliament and Senators in discussion about these needed changes and to demonstrate their continued support for these unique and precious Canadian assets. In that way, we can all be assured that these institutions that have captured our hearts, our imagination and our hopes for almost a century and a half will still be in place and serve as the focal point for our national identity and the aspirations of our children and their children for many more centuries.

History is the continuum of actions taken in the present. Let us add the knowledge and innovation of our generation to the courageous actions of those who came before us, so that Parliament Hill will once again be a true testament of who we were, who we are, and who we want to be as a nation of Canadians.