Canadian Birds

 Birds that make their living in and around water are focused on here.

There isn't strictly speaking a national bird for the country, but each province and territory has a designated bird. Alberta has the great horned owl, the Northwest Territories chose the gyrfalcon, and New Brunswick has the black-capped chickadee.

The sharp-tailed grouse is the provincial bird of Saskatchewan. The Yukon territory selected the common raven. And British Columbia has the Steller's jay.

The rock ptarmigan is the official bird of Nunavut. Ontario selected the common loon.

The blue jay is the bird of Prince Edward Island. Nova Scotia has the osprey. And Quebec has the snowy owl.

Rounding things out, the Atlantic puffin is the bird of Newfoundland and Labrador, while Manitoba selected the great gray owl.

Coming out into the Queens Lantern, I photographed the stained glass at the top of the windows on this level.

This is the dedication plaque, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth. The Queens Lantern is in honour of her and Queen Victoria.

It is a delight to be in.

Back into the central atrium I went, and looked up at Gaia.

History

Rounding out this visit today inside the Earth Gallery.

This large rock is rich in copper and nickel.

It was time to move onto the next gallery space. I headed out into the Queens Lantern, where some of the history of the building is examined. It is officially the Victoria Memorial Museum Building, originally built in honour of the Queen. Aside from the natural world collections, this building has housed other elements of the national museums at one point or another.

The administrative side and the larger collections of this museum are over in Gatineau.

There are stories that the building is haunted. Some suggest it's Wilfrid Laurier, whose body laid in state here before his funeral.

There have been renovations over time, including back in the 1990s.

A larger one was undertaken in the first decade of this century. Improvements were made, including additions to galleries, seismic reinforcements, and the addition of the Queens Lantern, which replaced a stone tower of the original building that had to be removed.

The Queens Lantern is a delight inside, very modern, but fitting well with the older architecture. It was dedicated by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010, and is named both for her and for Victoria.

The Moon overhead is irresistible for the photographer.

Human Rights

 Women's rights, particularly gender discrimination and violence, are explored. The Ecole Polytechnique massacre of December 1989, in which fourteen women were murdered, had a huge effect on the country.

The Roseland Theatre in Nova Scotia became the focal point of a human rights complaint back in the 40s. There was no law in the province for racial equality, and so private businesses could practice segregation if they wanted. In 1946, Viola Desmond, who owned a beauty parlour in Halifax, was in town and attended a movie- getting arrested for sitting in the whites only section. These days her portrait is on the Canadian ten dollar bill.

Disability rights and accomodation have evolved over time. From everyday AODA needs to those who shine on the international stage, Canadians have responded and adapted. Paralympic hockey sticks are seen here, along with a glove that has a story in and of itself. It is a glove that was used by Rick Hansen, who showed the world what a man in a wheelchair can really do.

Hansen went around the world on his wheelchair to raise money for spinal injury research, leaving a big impact on the world as a whole.

Disability adaptation includes a model for a full scale playground equipment seen here.

Human rights applies as well to around the world.

Lotta Hitschmanova was a refugee who came to Canada, where she founded the Canadian chapter of the Unitarian Service Branch and dedicated her life to working with refugees affected by war.

This is one of her uniforms.

Canadians also got involved in the fight against apartheid over successive governments- with the government of Brian Mulroney becoming even more assertive to convince the world to bring economic sanctions upon South Africa as a tool. Whatever else he was as a prime minister, it's something about him that I respect. It meant disagreeing with his allies, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, both of whom wanted to go slower.

Nelson Mandela was made an honorary citizen of the country right here at the Museum. With Canadians so vocal in the fight to end apartheid, he had a warm relationship with the country as a result.

Majestic Interior

 As impressive as the Supreme Court of Canada is outside, its main interior space is all the more so.

This is a picture of the current members of the Court.

The main courtroom is at the top of these stairs. The room directly ahead contains photographs of all of the Supreme Court justices.

Here we have the ceremonial robes of the justices. These are not commonly used- Canadian mink makes up part of the material, and so tends to be hot. Justices usually use black robes.

A number of busts of chief justices are found inside the interior hall.

Displayed are copies of two sheets originally signed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1982, enshrining the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One of the copies she signed was later the subject of paint being thrown at it by a protestor.

The Royal Canadian Mint puts out into general circulation certain coins each year marking an anniversary or some other kind of theme. This year, that is the 150th anniversary of the Court. I have not yet seen this one in my change.

We conclude today with the Court emblem, designed by Cormier to be bilingual. In French, it is Cour Supreme.