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38-652: The Scottish Ontario Chambers is a building in Ottawa at the corner of Sparks Street and Elgin Street that was built in 1883. It was designed by William Hodgson. It is designated as a heritage property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act . 45°25′25″N 75°41′45″W  /  45.4236492°N 75.6958526°W  / 45.4236492; -75.6958526  ( Scottish Ontario Chambers ) Sparks Street Sparks runs from Elgin Street in

76-533: A governing party . Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the Canadian constitution , which includes written statutes in addition to court rulings and unwritten conventions developed over centuries. Constitutionally, the King's Privy Council for Canada is the body that advises the sovereign or their representative on the exercise of executive power. This task is carried out nearly exclusively by

114-407: A number of heritage buildings. The street is named after Nicholas Sparks , a farmer who, early in the mid-nineteenth century, cut a path through the woods on his holding, which would eventually become this street. When Ottawa was selected as Canada's capital, this area became even more important, as the street became home to a number of government offices and homes for parliamentarians. One of these

152-650: Is personally represented by a governor general (currently Mary Simon ). A prime minister (currently Justin Trudeau ) is the head of government , who is invited by the Crown to form a government after securing the confidence of the House of Commons , which is typically determined through the election of enough members of a single political party in a federal election to provide a majority of seats in Parliament, forming

190-627: Is seeking to increase business and activity by increasing the number of residences nearby. However, the CBC development has been criticized as "just another low-cost, banal building" which was designed poorly and has not brought more life to the street. Councillor Diane Holmes called it "the biggest disappointment," and "a whole block of deadness." Sparks Street is home to the Sparks Street International Chicken & Rib Cook-off every year in late June. Each year, around

228-737: The August civic holiday , Sparks street plays host to the Ottawa International Buskers Festival, where buskers from around the world come to showcase their art to tourists and locals in downtown Ottawa. Latin Sparks Festival made its debut in 2012 as a small group of 40 friends gathered weekly on Sparks Street to dance outdoors in the summertime. Sparks Street is home to Latin Sparks Festival since 2012, featuring music, dancing and food. Sparks contains some of Ottawa's most important structures. Just past

266-717: The East Memorial Building , with other government departments in the West Memorial Building . West of these buildings the street becomes far less notable, being home to several hotels and smaller buildings. The final block of this rather short street has the Garden of the Provinces and Territories to the north and Christ Church Cathedral , Ottawa's main Anglican church , to the south. One of

304-529: The King-in-Council . On the advice of the Canadian prime minister, the sovereign appoints a federal viceregal representative —the governor general (currently Mary Simon )—who, since 1947, is permitted to exercise almost all of the monarch's royal prerogative ; though, there are some duties which must be specifically performed by the monarch themselves (such as assent of certain bills). In case of

342-594: The Public Service of Canada , and the Canadian Armed Forces . One of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a democratic government is always in place, which includes the appointment of a prime minister , who heads the Cabinet and directs the activities of the government. Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists in long-established convention , which stipulates

380-510: The Senate ). During its term, the government must retain the confidence of the House of Commons and certain important motions , such as money bills and the speech from the throne , are considered as confidence motions . Laws are formed by the passage of bills through Parliament, which are either sponsored by the government or individual members of Parliament. Once a bill has been approved by both

418-467: The advice of the King's Privy Council for Canada , referred to as the King-in-Council . However, the Privy Council—consisting mostly of former ministers, chief justices , and other elder statesmen—rarely meets in full. In the construct of constitutional monarchy and responsible government , the advice tendered is typically binding, meaning the monarch reigns but does not rule , with

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456-541: The federal public service and federal departments and agencies when used elsewhere. This differs from the United States , where the executive branch is referred to as an administration and the federal government encompasses executive, legislative, and judicial powers, similar to the Canadian Crown . In press releases issued by federal departments, the government has sometimes been referred to as

494-613: The Bible House/old James Hope building at 61 Sparks, built in 1910; and branches of a number of Canada's banks from the same era. A pair of notable newer buildings are also on this section of the mall, including the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre and the Thomas D'Arcy McGee Building , which is located at the corner of Metcalfe and Sparks Streets. West of Bank Street, outside of the mall itself,

532-419: The Cabinet ruling "in trust" for the monarch. However, the royal prerogative belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, and there are rare exceptions where the monarch may be obliged to act unilaterally to prevent manifestly unconstitutional acts. The stipulations of responsible government require that those who directly advise the Crown on the exercise the royal prerogative be accountable to

570-463: The Cabinet, which functions as the executive committee of the Privy Council that sets the government's policies and priorities for the country and is chaired by the prime minister. The sovereign appoints the members of Cabinet on the advice of the prime minister who, by convention, are generally selected primarily from the House of Commons (although often include a limited number of members from

608-517: The Crown (together in the Cabinet ) and the federal civil service (whom the Cabinet direct); it is alternatively known as His Majesty's Government (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté ) and is corporately branded as the Government of Canada . There are over 100 departments and agencies, as well as over 300,000 persons employed in the Government of Canada. These institutions carry out

646-472: The Crown must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons , who, in practice, is typically the leader of the political party that holds more seats than any other party in that chamber (currently the Liberal Party , led by Justin Trudeau ). Should no particular party hold a majority in the House of Commons, the leader of one party—either

684-482: The House of Commons and the Senate, royal assent is required to make the bill become law. The laws are then the responsibility of the government to oversee and enforce. Under Canada's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy , the terms government and Government of Canada refer specifically to the prime minister, Cabinet, and other members of the governing party inside the House of Commons , but typically includes

722-462: The best known addresses in all of Canada for many years was "56 Sparks Street, Ottawa" as it was the tag line used in a large number of radio and television commercials and commentaries made by Lotta Hitschmanova , founder of the humanitarian charity USC Canada , which moved to an office at 56 Sparks Street soon after it was created in 1945. On September 14, 2019, the O-Train 's Confederation Line

760-566: The buildings on the south side are owned and operated by the National Capital Commission . Buildings on the north side of the mall were expropriated by the Government of Canada in 1973, and are currently operated by Public Works and Government Services Canada . Located one block south of Wellington Street (the home of the Parliament of Canada ), Sparks Street is one of Ottawa's more historical streets and features

798-415: The conventional stipulations of a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited. The term Government of Canada , or more formally, His Majesty's Government refers to the activities of the King-in-Council . The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of Canada are performed by the federal departments and agencies , staffed by

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836-632: The current prime minister's government (e.g. the Trudeau Government ). This terminology has been commonly employed in the media. In late 2010, an informal instruction from the Office of the Prime Minister urged government departments to consistently use, in all department communications, such phrasing (i.e., Harper Government , at the time), in place of Government of Canada . The same Cabinet earlier directed its press department to use

874-426: The downtown area became less centralized and commerce spread to neighbouring streets. Government ministries, requiring larger offices, also went elsewhere. In 1959, the street's streetcar line (Bank Street to Rideau Canal) was closed. Starting in 1960, the street was closed to vehicular traffic in the summers in an attempt to improve commerce. This plan was modelled on Toledo, Ohio , which along with Kalamazoo were

912-406: The east to Bronson Avenue in the west. The Sparks Street Mall , which contains a number of outdoor restaurants and several works of art and fountains , only runs from Elgin to Bank Street . The pedestrian-only portion continues for another two blocks westward. The final two blocks, west of Lyon Street, consist of a regular road, merging into Bronson Avenue heading south. The mall and most of

950-702: The eastern end of Sparks at Elgin Street is the National War Memorial and across Elgin from Sparks is the National Arts Centre . The eastern section of the street has a number of the city's older buildings, including Ottawa's post office from 1939; the Ottawa Electric Building, built in 1926 by the founders of the Ottawa Electric Railway , Ottawa's streetcar system; Ottawa's first high-rise :

988-471: The elected House of Commons and the day-to-day operation of government is guided only by a sub-group of the Privy Council made up of individuals who hold seats in Parliament, known as the Cabinet . The monarch and governor general typically follow the near-binding advice of their ministers. The royal prerogative, however, belongs to the Crown and not to any of the ministers, who only rule "in trust" for

1026-420: The first North American cities to close downtown streets in an attempt to recapture customers. The success of these temporary summer closings convinced the city to close the street permanently to vehicles in 1967. Although initially successful, the mall began to decline in the 1970s. Urban planning professor David Gordon, of Queen's University, blames the growth of suburban shopping malls. Another major problem

1064-448: The governor general's absence or incapacitation, the administrator of Canada performs the Crown's most basic functions. As part of the royal prerogative, the royal sign-manual gives authority to letters patent and orders-in-Council . Much of the royal prerogative is only exercised in-council, meaning on the advice of the King's Privy Council for Canada ( ministers of the Crown formed in Cabinet in conventional practice); within

1102-400: The monarch and who must relinquish the Crown's power back to it upon losing the confidence of the commons, whereupon a new government, which can hold the lower chamber 's confidence, is installed by the governor general. The royal and vice-royal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional constitutional crisis situations (an exercise of the reserve powers ), thereby allowing

1140-468: The party with the most seats or one supported by other parties—will be called by the governor general to form a minority government . Once sworn in, the prime minister holds office until their resignation or removal by the governor general, after either a motion of no confidence or defeat in a general election . The executive is defined in the Constitution Act, 1867 as the Crown acting on

1178-484: The pedestrian mall is open year-round and extends from Elgin to Kent Streets. Although the mall is quite busy during the week, it is only lightly used on the weekend. The National Capital Commission remains committed to operating and improving the mall. The street's landscaping has been updated. The Commission was successful in bringing the CBC Ottawa Broadcast Centre to a location on the mall, and

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1216-430: The phrase Canada's New Government . Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning sovereign is both legal and practical, but not political. The monarch is vested with all powers of state and sits at the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority. The executive is thus formally referred to as

1254-473: The programs and enforce the laws established by the Parliament of Canada . The federal government's organization and structure was established at Confederation , through the Constitution Act, 1867 , wherein the Canadian Crown acts as the core, or "the most basic building block", of its Westminster-style parliamentary democracy . The monarch, King  Charles III is head of state and

1292-639: The street is overshadowed by the C.D. Howe Building , the home of Industry Canada to the south, and the headquarters of the Bank of Canada to the north. West of the bank is the Ottawa Marriott Hotel and Place de Ville 's Podium Building and Tower C, once the tallest building in Ottawa and home of Transport Canada . On the north side is home of the Department of Justice in St. Andrew's Towers and

1330-586: The street was in the early twentieth century, when a number of Beaux-Arts buildings that still stand were erected. At the time, the eastern end of Sparks Street continued across the Rideau Canal on Sappers Bridge . Where the War Memorial and Confederation Square stands today, was the Russell House hotel, and Ottawa's old Post Office. The square was built in the 1930s. As the city expanded,

1368-623: Was Thomas D'Arcy McGee who, in 1868, was assassinated outside his home at the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe. The street also became Ottawa's commercial hub in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was home to a number of the city's banks and the lumber companies of the Ottawa Valley , as well as "the best shops, hotels, dining rooms, and theatres.". It once contained the Murphy-Gamble (later Simpson's ), Morgan's , C. Ross, and Bryson-Graham's department stores. The peak of

1406-465: Was opened, under Queen Street and one block south of Sparks. Both Lyon and Parliament ( Parlement in French) stations serves the area. Government of Canada The Government of Canada ( French : Gouvernement du Canada ) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada . The term Government of Canada refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of

1444-427: Was the growth of highrise government offices with internal concourses in the area. Gordan and Bray wrote that Sparks became "an isolated island of pedestrian-friendly space in a traffic-dominated district" in a 2003 report. Additionally, the Government of Canada is a major landlord on the street, its buildings presenting a "blank face" to the street, and discouraging shops from investing in the area long-term. Today,

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