Monday, December 9, 2013

Laurier

Around Parliament Hill are a scattering of statues, some of them Prime Ministers, others being Fathers of Confederation. Two are monarchs. Over time I'll show them in turn. It seems suitable to start with this one. Wilfred Laurier was Prime Minister from 1896-1911, the first francophone PM, a statesman and one of our best leaders. His statue is the easternmost of the monuments on the Hill, backdropped by the East Block. 


It has a view of the Chateau Laurier, named in his honour. The hotel is here in part based on Laurier's policies of building a second transcontinental railroad across the country, policies that had to be sorted out by his successor as PM, Robert Borden.


16 comments:

  1. The positioning of a statue is almost as important as the statue itself, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The name is familiar, I must have "encountered" him in Québec. It's good that he is honoured this way and I like that you have shown both sides of him.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That is indeed a nice view of the Chateau Laurier !

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks amazing - love the look of Chateau Laurier.

    ReplyDelete
  5. He looks very stately standing there.

    ReplyDelete
  6. @Hamilton: this one is well placed.

    @Ciel: he has one of the better views of the statues on the hill!

    @Stuart: indeed it is!

    @Mike: it's one of my favourite buildings here to photograph.

    @Sharon: yes he does.

    ReplyDelete
  7. He has a good view of his namesake hotel!

    ReplyDelete
  8. There is certainly no shortage of statues of historical figures in Ottawa! Nice shots. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. supposedly i am related to laurier...a distant cousin...many of my ancestors on my father's side came from quebec :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Excellent finds - I'm learning so much more about Ottawa through your photos! That is one nice-looking hotel:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. A majestic statue and a beautiful chateau into two perfect photos!

    ReplyDelete
  12. @Norma: thank you!

    @RedPat: it must have been deliberate placement when they put it there, though he's quite lonely all by himself.

    @Halcyon: we're drowning in them!

    @Inna: thank you!

    @Tanya: now that's fascinating!

    @LondonLulu: towards the end of the month I'll have shots from inside.

    @Karl: thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. He's surrounded by wonderful architecture!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I can never get enough of Parliament Hill and the Chateau.

      Delete