PM renames Ottawa’s historic Langevin Block in gesture of respect for Indigenous peoples
For decades, “Langevin Block” has been at the centre of Canadian politics.
As home to the office of the prime minister and the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic wing that supports it, the copper-roofed limestone building across from Parliament Hill is a symbol of political power.
Yet for Indigenous peoples, the building has served as a different sort of symbol — a reminder of a dark chapter in the country’s history, a particularly heinous time of racism.
The building is named after Hector Louis Langevin, a father of Confedera- tion and member of Sir John A. Macdonald’s cabinet. But Langevin was also a proponent of the residential school system that stripped Indigenous children from their parents and communities.
Those schools were set up to forcibly assimilate First Nations, Inuit and Métis children into the mainstream by denying them access to their communities and culture, according to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that troubled past and said the building would be stripped of its name, becoming, instead the “Office of the Prime Minister and the Privy Council Office.”
“We’ve heard from you and the TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission) and from many Indigenous communities over the past year that there is a deep pain in knowing that that building carries a name so closely associated with the horror of residential schools,” Trudeau said.
“Thank you so much for changing that name. That is part of rebuilding that nation-to-nation relationship.” PERRY BELLEGARDE
“Keeping that name on the prime minister’s office is inconsistent with the values of our government. It is inconsistent with our vision of a strong partnership with Indigenous peoples in Canada,” he said.
The new functional name might lack the cachet of Britain’s 10 Downing St. or the U.S. White House. But no longer will it stand as an offensive reminder to a segment of the Canadian population.
The gesture spoke volumes for Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
“Thank you so much for changing that name,” Bellegarde said. “That’s a big thing because that is part of reconciliation. That is part of rebuilding that nation-to-nation relationship.”
As previously reported by the Star, Trudeau confirmed that the former site of the U.S. embassy, occupying pride of place across from Parliament Hill, would be transformed into a space for Indigenous peoples.
He said he hoped the building would become an important symbol of the changing relationship between the government and Indigenous peoples.
Speaking outside the old embassy site, on a stretch of Wellington St. that had been closed for traffic, Trudeau highlighted the building’s prominent location.
“Look at where we are, across from the Peace Tower, in front of the eternal flame, at the very heart of our country’s seat of government,” he said. “Millions of Canadians and their families will visit . . . and see that indeed no relationship is more important to this government than that with Indigenous peoples.”
Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, praised the move but said much work lies ahead before the building is reopened in its new mission.
“I want to recognize the hard work it will take between Inuit, First Nations and Métis to make this a success and to bring together groups to understand what the best use will be for us,” Obed said. The announcements were made on National Aboriginal Day, although, in the future, it would be renamed, too, Trudeau said, and would become National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Speeches at the event were interspersed by traditional drumming, dancing and singing.
The prime minister noted that, as Canada marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, “not everyone will be celebrating.”
“In the spirit of reconciliation, it is important to understand why,” Trudeau said.
“For too long, First Nations, Inuit and the Métis Nation have been ignored in the decision making of this country while having their rights denied,” Trudeau said.
“It took 400 years to create these problems. They will take time to solve,” he said.
Built between 1883 and 1889, Langevin Block was the first purposebuilt edifice the government erected to handle its growing operations off Parliament Hill, according to its historic designation.
It originally housed the several federal departments, but, by 1977, it had been renovated for the offices of the prime minister and the Privy Council Office.
“Keeping that name on the prime minister’s office is inconsistent with the values of our government.” JUSTIN TRUDEAU