Parliament House of Victoria BC - Report Example

Parliament House of Victoria BC The parliament building in Victoria BC (British Columbia) is the main attraction for tourists in the The buildings have an impressive effect on visitors and reflect the association with England. The buildings are famous for the architectural designs, beautiful gardens and statues, and are home to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria BC. The Parliament house of Victoria BC has been an object of architectural attraction which played a central role in the political evolution of the place. Victoria City Victoria City which is located on the southeastern point of Vancouver Island was identified as a city in 1862 and became the capital of British Columbia in the year 1871. It is situated off the coast of Canada’s Pacific (Olson, 20). The population of Victoria City is about 325000 and takes up only a small corner of the island. The size of the city is almost one-fifth of England. Many parts of the city is filled with so much wilderness that there are no roads and the only option to travel in these parts is by boat or by foot (Olson, 207). The settlement of Victoria City was established in the year 1805 by Martin De Leon. The area was located between the lower Guadalupe River and the Lavaca River and was surrounded by Jackson, Calhoun, DeWitt and Victoria counties. The government house was located on the banks of the Guadalupe River on an area of 640 acre. The first site that was selected was to construct a school in the city. Initially there were eight Catholic Anglo-American families with sufficient wealth. De Leon was supposed to bring 150 families which did not happen because of his “death and cholera epidemic of 1833”. The city’s planning was made taking ideas from cities in Europe and Mexico. The City Hall is situated in the old market square (“Early History of Victoria”). Victoria is a peaceful city and has all the privileges needed by people going on a holiday. The city is major attraction for visitors because it can be easily accessed. Victoria has beautiful gardens with flowers. Butchart Garden which is located in downtown Victoria is a major tourist attraction for its fireworks on Saturday nights. The Royal BC museum is one of the best museums in the world and is a reflection of the city and its people. Ferry rides especially in the evening during sunset is another pleasant activity for tourists (Olson, 1-4). When the city was founded, it was inhabited mostly by people from UK and Scotland. The British rule began in Victoria in the middle of the 19th century when the Strait of Juan de Fuca divided US and Canada. Victoria is now a haven for “the newly wed and nearly dead” because of its quieter and laid-back life. Victoria retains much of its old world charm and embraces its colonial air. Victoria county was established “under the Republic of Texas on May 17, 1836, with the City of Victoria for the county seat” (Olson, 11-12). Parliament House Location The Parliament buildings of Victoria, BC are situated on the banks of the Inner Harbour. The buildings are the most important attractions of the harbour. The land area that the buildings occupy is 5 hectare or 12.5 acre. The land is located on the waterfront in Victoria downtown (“BC Parliament Buildings: Victoria, Canada”). The structure The Parliament buildings including its grounds are considered as one of the most beautiful structure even when they are judged against other national capitals. The architecture of the buildings is also considered as outstanding. The buildings are remarkable and stately. The Legislative Assembly for British Columbia is situated within the Parliament buildings. Many other key attractions of Inner Harbour are located near the Parliament buildings like the Royal British Columbia Museum, the Undersea Gardens, the Royal British Columbia Wax Museum and the Empress Hotel (“BC Parliament Buildings – Victoria”). During nights around 3,000 bulbs are used to light up the buildings and this becomes a major attraction for photographers (Hay). Inner Harbour The harbour is the central place of all activities in Victoria. This harbour is placed in the center of Victoria city and can be easily approached. Some of the well known activities in this harbour are sightseeing and shopping. The harbour is enclosed by a “cement tiered promenade walkway”. Many activity companies hold their meetings in the marina around which the Inner Harbour is anchored (“BC Parliament Buildings: Victoria, Canada”). Tourist attractions on Inner Harbour During the summer season the Inner Harbour gets crowded with tourists and natives. They usually get engaged in activities like “sightseeing, relaxing, shopping, taking pictures, having lunch and touring”. To attract the tourists there are many musicians playing their instruments on the streets. Also there are many vendors to sell their wares. The Inner Habour provides a number of services to the travelers for their convenience like hotels and restaurants. There are also other services like “banks, specialty gift stores, tours, guides, attractions, coffee shops, marina, air base, art galleries and museum”. For social life during the nights there are pubs and dance clubs (“BC Parliament Buildings: Victoria, Canada”). Parliament buildings: major destination for tourists The Parliament buildings are the major attractions for tourists in the Inner Harbour. It is made accessible to the public throughout the year. Visitors are welcomed to enjoy and get fascinated by the splendid architecture of the buildings. The visitors can also learn about British Columbias Legislative Assembly and its history. There are scheduled tours to guide the visitors once they are inside the premises of the buildings. Such scheduled tours are conducted on regular basis and are free of charge. The visitors also have the option to walk around the buildings on their own (“Parliament buildings of BC”). There is a statue of Queen Victoria on the lawn of the Parliament buildings. There is also a statue of a soldier which was built in memory of all the dead soldiers of the two World Wars and the Korean War. There is a statue of Captain George Vancouver made of gold. This statue is placed at the top of the central dome on the building. The central dome is constructed with copper. The tours can prove to be educational for the tourists because of “beauty of the Neo-Baroque buildings and the intricate statutes” (“BC Government Parliament Buildings”). Legislative Assembly The Vancover Island is governed by a free government. The members of the House of Assembly are elected by the democratic voting power of the people and also by a legislative Council assigned by the Crown. The governor, the House of Assembly and the legislative council have the power to enforce laws for the colony. This system is in accordance with the laws of England (Macdonald, 348). The governor’s duties and responsibilities are supervised by the premier. The governor has the power to constitute laws and appoint people for the executive posts. He also has the power to call upon or dissolve a legislative assembly (Carty, 90). The elected MLAs of British Columbia gather to meet in the Parliament buildings. Here bills are debated before they are passed to become Acts of law. The Legislative Assembly also manages the finance of the province by dictating the terms of ways to use the province’s money. The Legislative Assembly can also judge the Premier and Cabinet Ministers according to their actions (“Parliament buildings”). History of the Parliament buildings The construction of the Parliament buildings was begun in the year 1893 and was completed in 1898. The architect of the buildings was Francis Rattenbury who was at that time only 25 years of age. He designed the buildings in honour of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria (“BC Government Parliament Buildings”). The buildings were officially opened in February 1898 although finishing touches and upgrades continued until the year 1918 (“BC Parliament Buildings: Victoria, Canada”). The total cost incurred was just under $1 million. During the period of construction this was regarded as an enormous sum. For the purpose of building the structure mostly resources from local area were used. The construction also helped the local businesses. Some of the materials like “Douglas Fir and brick was from Vancouver Island and the granite rock foundations came from nearby Nelson Island, and the facades are from Haddington Island in northern Vancouver Island” (Hay). History of the legislative Assembly In mid 1863 the constitution of a legislative assembly for British Columbia was approved by the Duke of Newcastle. The members of the assembly would be composed of Government officials and also members who would be elected by the colony residents. During the end of 1863, it was formally decided that each colony would be ruled by separate governors. Vancouver Island was proposed by the Duke of Newcastle in the year 1864 based on a civil list. During that time the Hudson’s Bay Company was about to convey the Crown lands of the colony to the Home government. The Duke suggested that the lands be transferred to the House of Assembly by the Home government. His condition for such transfer was that the salaries of the “governor and the heads of departments” be adjusted from the sale proceeds of the lands. There was unanimous rejection of the proposal from the Assembly because of the opinion that the value of the lands has been “greatly over-estimated by the Duke of Newcastle” (Macfie, 322). The final resolution was that the island was not financially equipped to maintain separate officials required for the Assembly and so the colony should be urgently united with British Columbia (Macfie, 320-322). Conclusion Victoria BC is a beautiful place with rich natural resources and mild climate. It is considered as one of the most successful industrial society. However, the political environment in British Columbia has been somewhat turbulent with pressure groups becoming a major issue (Carty, 216). The political system faces many hindrances to bring a positive change although of late there have been efforts to make government policies keeping in view the interests of the pressure groups. References 1. “BC Government Parliament Buildings”. Tarvelodgevictoria, n.d.. May 26, 2012 from: http://www.travelodgevictoria.com/bc-government-parliament-buildings.html 2. “BC Parliament Buildings – Victoria”. Explorevancouverisland, n.d., May 26, 2012 from: http://www.explorevancouverisland.com/Parliament_Buildings_Victoria_BC.htm 3. “BC Parliament Buildings: Victoria, Canada”. Victoriabc, n.d., May 26, 2012 from: http://www.victoriabc.ca/victoria/parliamentbuildings.htm 4. Carty, R. Kenneth. Politics, Policy, and Government in British Columbia, Canada: UBC Press, 1996 5. “Early History of Victoria”, Texas, victoriatx, n.d., May 25, 2012 from: http://www.victoriatx.org/aboutus/history.asp 6. Hay, Doug. “The Magnificent Parliament Buildings and Grounds Victoria BC”. Amazingvancouverisland, August 24, 2011, May 26, 2012 from: http://www.amazingvancouverisland.com/2011/08/the-magnificent-parliament-buildings-and-grounds-victoria-bc/ 7. Macfie, Matthew. Vancouver Island and British Columbia: Their history, resources and prospects, Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1865 8. Macdonald, Duncan George Forbes. A description of British Columbia and Vancouvers Island, London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1862 9. Olson, Donald. Frommers Vancouver and Victoria 2011, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons, 2011 10. “Parliament buildings”. Openschool, n.d., May 26, 2012 from: http://www.openschool.bc.ca/elementary/ss4-5/parliament.htm 11. “Parliament buildings of BC”. Tourismvictoria, n.d., May 26, 2012 from: http://www.tourismvictoria.com/Parliament_Buildings_of_BC Read More