Editing Ottawa (section)

=== Selection as capital ===
The selection of Ottawa as the capital of Canada predates the Confederation of Canada. The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the [[Province of Canada|United Province of Canada]] holding more than 200 votes over several decades to attempt to settle on a legislative solution to the location of the capital.<ref name=":6" />

The governor-general of the province had designated [[Kingston, Ontario|Kingston]] as the capital in 1841. However, the major population centres of [[Toronto]] and [[Montreal]], as well as the former capital of Lower Canada, [[Quebec City]], all had legislators dissatisfied with Kingston. Anglophone merchants in Quebec were the leading group supportive of the Kingston arrangement.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Knight |first=David B |title=Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system |publisher=Carleton university Press |year=1991 |pages=47–50}}</ref> In 1842, a vote rejected Kingston as the capital,<ref>Gordon, D.L.A., & Osborne, B. (2004). Constructing national identity in Canada's capital, 1900–2000: Confederation Square and the National War Memorial. ''Journal of Historical Geography 30, (4)'':618-642</ref> and study of potential candidates included the then-named Bytown, but that option proved less popular than Toronto or Montreal.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp.&nbsp;71.</ref> In 1843, a report of the Executive Council recommended Montreal as the capital as a more fortifiable location and commercial centre; however, the governor-general refused to execute a move without a parliamentary vote.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 74–86</ref> In 1844, the [[Queen Victoria|Queen]]'s acceptance of a parliamentary vote moved the capital to Montreal.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp.&nbsp;88.</ref>

In 1849, after [[Burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal|violence in Montreal]], a series of votes was held, with Kingston and Bytown again considered potential capitals. However, the successful proposal was for two cities to share capital status and the legislature to alternate sitting in each: Quebec City and Toronto, in a policy known as perambulation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=23 November 2017 |title=Toronto's Bid to Be the Capital of Canada |url=https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/online-exhibits/web-exhibits/web-exhibits-significant-events/the-earliest-known-photographs-of-toronto/torontos-bid-to-be-the-capital-of-canada/ |access-date=10 August 2022 |website=City of Toronto |language=en-CA |archive-date=4 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220804190343/https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/history-art-culture/online-exhibits/web-exhibits/web-exhibits-significant-events/the-earliest-known-photographs-of-toronto/torontos-bid-to-be-the-capital-of-canada/ |url-status=live |last1=Toronto |first1=City of }}</ref><ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 208</ref> Logistical difficulties made this an unpopular arrangement,<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 129</ref> and although an 1856 vote passed for the lower house of parliament to relocate permanently to Quebec City, the upper house refused to approve funding.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 156–164</ref>

The funding impasse led to the ending of the legislature's role in determining the seat of government. The legislature requested the Queen determine the seat of government. The Queen then acted on the advice of her governor general [[Edmund Walker Head|Edmund Head]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Head, Sir Edmund National Historic Person |url=https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1254 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=www.pc.gc.ca |language=en |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034214/https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/dfhd/page_nhs_eng.aspx?id=1254 |url-status=live}}</ref> who, after reviewing proposals from various cities, selected the recently renamed Ottawa. The Queen sent a letter to colonial authorities selecting Ottawa as the capital, effective 31 December 1857. [[George Brown (Canadian politician)|George Brown]], briefly a co-premier of the Province of Canada, attempted to reverse this decision but was unsuccessful. The Parliament ratified the Queen's choice in 1859, with Quebec serving as interim capital from 1859 to 1865.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Powell |first=James |title=Queen Victoria Chooses Ottawa |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/queen-victoria-chooses-ottawa |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122175907/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/momentous-events-in-the-city-s-life/queen-victoria-chooses-ottawa |archive-date=22 November 2021 |access-date=14 July 2022 |website=The Historical Society of Ottawa |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 1</ref> The relocation process began in 1865, with the first session of Parliament held in the new buildings in 1866. The buildings were generally well received by legislators.<ref>Knight, David B (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton university Press. pp. 1, 334–335</ref>

[[File:View of Parliament Hill and Chaudière Falls. "City of Ottawa, Canada West", ca. 1859, by Stent and Laver..jpg|thumb|Ottawa in 1859, before construction on [[Parliament Hill]]. Two years prior, [[Queen Victoria]] selected the city as the permanent capital of the [[Province of Canada]].]]

Ottawa was chosen as the capital for two primary reasons.<ref name=reasons>{{cite web |title=A Capital in the Making |url=http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24516-25146&lang=1 |publisher=[[National Capital Commission]] |access-date=24 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108134234/http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins/ncc_web_content_page.asp?cid=16297-24515-24516-25146&lang=1 |archive-date=8 January 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> First, Ottawa's isolated location, surrounded by dense forest far from the Canada–US border and situated on a cliff face, would make it more defensible from attack.<ref name="McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP">{{cite book |last1=Northey |last2=Knight |title=Choosing Canada's Capital: Conflict Resolution in a Parliamentary System |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zPY3hRG0a-EC&pg=PA236 |edition=Revised |series=Issue 168 of Carleton Library Series, ISSN 0576-7784 |year=1991 |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP |isbn=978-0-88629-148-8 |page=236 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502153916/https://books.google.com/books?id=zPY3hRG0a-EC&pg=PA236 |archive-date=2 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cohen2003">{{cite book |author=Saul Bernard Cohen |title=Geopolitics of the world system |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QkMD8HKRlgoC&pg=PA122 |year=2003 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-8476-9907-0 |page=122 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424133740/https://books.google.com/books?id=QkMD8HKRlgoC&pg=PA122 |archive-date=24 April 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Second, Ottawa was on the border between [[Canada West]] and [[Canada East]], making the selection an important political compromise.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |title=Why Was Ottawa Chosen as the Federal Capital City? |url=http://www.ottawagraphy.ca/answers/why-was-ottawa-chosen-federal-capital-city |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202235657/http://www.ottawagraphy.ca/answers/why-was-ottawa-chosen-federal-capital-city |archive-date=2 February 2011 |access-date=25 November 2014}}</ref><ref>Knight, David B. (1991). ''Choosing Canada's capital: conflict resolution in a parliamentary system''. Carleton University Press. pp. 1, 243</ref>

Other minor considerations included that despite Ottawa's regional isolation, there was water transportation access from spring to fall, both to Montreal via the Ottawa River, and to Kingston via the [[Rideau Waterway]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rideau Canal |url=https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/tag/Rideau%20Canal |access-date=14 July 2022 |publisher=The Historical Society of Ottawa |language=en-gb |archive-date=14 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714034214/https://www.historicalsocietyottawa.ca/publications/ottawa-stories/important-public-and-private-buildings-in-the-city/tag/Rideau%20Canal |url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, by 1854 it also had a modern all-season railway (the [[Bytown and Prescott Railway]]) that carried passengers, lumber and supplies the 82 kilometres (50 miles) to [[Prescott, Ontario|Prescott]] on the [[Saint Lawrence River]] and beyond.{{Sfn|Taylor|1986|p=11}}<ref name="McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP" /> Ottawa's small size was also thought to be less prone to politically motivated mob violence, as had happened in the [[burning of the Parliament Buildings in Montreal|previous Canadian capitals]].<ref name="Bourrie1996">{{cite book |author=Mark Bourrie |title=Canada's Parliament Buildings |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xUInFSPPc5kC&pg=PA19 |year=1996 |publisher=Dundurn Press Ltd. |isbn=978-0-88882-190-4 |page=19 |access-date=15 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522101226/https://books.google.com/books?id=xUInFSPPc5kC&pg=PA19 |archive-date=22 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Finally, the government already owned the land that eventually became [[Parliament Hill]], which it thought would be an ideal location for the Parliament buildings.<ref name=":12" />

The original Parliament buildings, which included the Centre, East and West Blocks, were constructed between 1859 and 1866 in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival style]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Parliament Buildings |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Publications/ParliamentBuildings/ParlBlgs-e.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113114107/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/Parliament/Publications/ParliamentBuildings/parlblgs-e.asp |archive-date=13 November 2015 |access-date=3 December 2018 |work=parl.gc.ca}}</ref> At the time, this was the largest North American construction project ever attempted and [[Public Works Canada]] and its architects were not initially well prepared for the relatively shallow-lying bedrock and had to redesign architectural drawings, leading to delays. The [[Library of Parliament]] and Parliament Hill landscaping were completed in 1876.<ref>{{cite web |title=Construction, 1859–1916 |url=http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/collineduparlement-parliamenthill/batir-building/hist/1859-1916-eng.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228212113/http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/collineduparlement-parliamenthill/batir-building/hist/1859-1916-eng.html |archive-date=28 December 2014}}</ref>