bc parliament tour

British Columbia Parliament Buildings

501 Belleville ST Victoria BC V8V 1X4

Overlooking Victoria’s majestic Inner Harbour, the Parliament Buildings and surrounding areas are located in the traditional territories of the Lekwungen people. Visitors are invited to discover the architectural splendour of the Parliament Buildings and learn about British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly.

The Parliament Buildings are open for free guided tours on weekdays throughout the year and seven days a week during the summer. Free tours are offered regularly throughout the day.

Please visit our website for the most up-to-date hours and tour information: bcleg.ca/tours.

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THE PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS

Along with the Empress Hotel, the Parliament Buildings dominate the scenery in downtown Victoria.

Victoria is the capital of the Province of British Columbia and is home to the Legislative

Legislative Chamber

Assembly of British Columbia.

The Neo-baroque buildings face north on Belleville street facing the Inner Harbour and diagonally across from The Empress Hotel. A statue of Queen Victoria stands on the front lawn as well a statue of a soldier to commemorate the province’s World War I, World War II and Korean War dead. Atop the central dome is a gold-covered statue of Captain George Vancouver.

This 12 ½ acre property has served as a site of government in British Columbia since 1864. The original structures, known as the Birdcages, were built to house the elected assembly for the Colony of Vancouver Island and continued to be used by the Legislative Assembly after British Columbia became a Province of Canada in 1871. The current Parliament Buildings were officially opened on February 10, 1898.

The Rotunda

The grand scale of its 500-ft (152-m) long andesite façade, central dome and two end pavilions, the richness of its white marble, and combination of Baroque rigorous symmetry, use of domes and sculptural massing with the rusticated surfaces of the currently popular Romanesque Revival style contributed to its being an innovative and impressive monument for the young province.

Its success garnered Rattenbury many more commissions in Victoria and other parts of the province, including the Legislative Library (constructed between 1913-1915 and the cornerstone of which was laid by Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught), the design of the Empress Hotel, the Crystal Gardens indoor swimming pool nearby, and the Vancouver Court House (now the Vancouver Art Gallery).

Free guided tours are available throughout the year. Come to ??discover the history of the province, the architectural splendor of our cherished heritage building and learn about British Columbia’s parliamentary process.

Tour Information:

Hours of operation:.

Open Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm, for guided and self-guided tours.

Closed on weekends and holidays.

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR UP-DATED INFO!

Please contact the Parliamentary Tour Office at 250-387-3046 or [email protected]? closer to the date of your visit for up-to-date schedule information.

Tour Length

Tours last approximately 30 – 45 minutes?

All tours are free of charge.

Group Bookings

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British Columbia Parliament Buildings

Victoria, british columbia.

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Overlooking Victoria’s majestic Inner Harbour, the Parliament Buildings and surrounding areas are located in the traditional territories of the  traditional territories of the Lekwungen-speaking (pronounced Le-KWUNG-en) peoples. . Visitors are invited to discover the architectural splendour of the Parliament Buildings and learn about British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly.

The Parliament Buildings are open for free guided tours seven days a week during the summer and on weekdays throughout the rest of the year. Free tours are offered regularly throughout the day.

Please visit our website for the most up-to-date hours and tour information: bcleg.ca/tours.

First installed for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, today there are over 3,600 light bulbs illuminating the exterior of the Parliament Buildings.

501 Belleville Street, Victoria, BC, Canada Get directions

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BC Parliament Buildings in Victoria

Also known as the Parliament Buildings, the BC Legislative Building is the beautiful palace-like structure with the green dome in Victoria’s Inner Harbour that’s home to British Columbia’s government and Legislative Assembly.

This article contains information about the following topics:

Parliament Tours and Hours | About the Parliament Buildings | Inside the Parliament Buildings | Tips & Advice | Other Information

BC Legislative Buildings

Completed in 1897, the BC Parliament Buildings are located at 501 Belleville Street in the heart of Victoria. Part of the well-known Inner Harbour, they are just a block southwest of the Empress Hotel .

Along with the Fairmont Empress, the Parliament Buildings are the most-recognizable landmark structures in Victoria. They house government offices and the Legislative Assembly where elected officials debate. They are also open to the public for free tours.

Parliament Tours and Opening Hours

Free daily guided and self-guided tours of the Parliament Buildings take place throughout the year.

The facility is open to the public on regular weekdays from 8:30 am until 4:30 pm for both guided and self-guided tours. It is closed on statutory holidays and weekends.

Guided tours start outside the main entrance at the front of the building and last for between 30 and 45 minutes. They are quite interesting and since they are free it’s well worth your time to take one. After the tour, visitors are welcome to stay inside and continue exploring on their own. For obvious reasons, only certain areas are open to the public.

For an online copy of the self-guided tour pamphlet, click BC Parliament English Guidebook . Copies are also available both online and at the Parliamentary Tour Desk in a variety of languages.

About the Parliament Buildings

Designed by the famous BC architect Francis Rattenbury, the Legislative Building was completed in 1897. Rattenbury was only in his mid-20s when he won the contract. In later years he designed other BC landmarks including the nearby Empress Hotel , the Crystal Gardens (just behind the Empress) and the present day Vancouver Art Gallery .

The Parliament Buildings were built for an original cost of slightly over $900,000. Additions over the following 20 years brought the full cost up to around $2 million, which, for that time, was a lot of money. In the 1970s the facilities underwent another $80 million in major upgrades and restorative work.

The building was designed in a “free classical,” Romanesque and Renaissance style, which explains why it looks so palatial. At night the 500-foot-long building is illuminated with thousands of light bulbs.

Situated on 12.5 acres of land in the heart of Victoria, the BC Parliament Buildings are beautiful both inside and out.

Inside the Parliament Buildings

Some of what you’ll see on both guided and self-guided tours include the official British Columbia Coat of Arms, the Reception Hall, a portrait of King Charles III, stained glass windows celebrating the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees, and both the Lower and Memorial Rotundas with their domed ceilings.

When the Legislature isn’t in session, including during most of the summer, the Legislative Assembly is available for viewing. When the Legislature is in session this important room can also be seen, along with all the political action, from the Public Gallery.

Tips & Advice

Below is a list of suggestions and information to help you make the most of your visit to the BC Parliament Buildings.

TIP #1 : If you’ve never been inside the Legislative Buildings before, we highly recommend that you go! Admission is free!

TIP #2 : Take a guided tour if you can. They are free, educational and very interesting. You’ll see pieces of art and learn about BC history and culture, just like in a museum! And, again, it’s free!

TIP #3 : If you’re hungry, check out the Parliamentary Dining Room. You can’t bring outside food and drinks into the building, but you can enjoy a meal at the same place as all the elected officials do (just not at the same time as them). The food is generally good and reasonably priced. When the Legislature is not in session the dining room is open from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm on Mondays to Thursdays, and from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm on Fridays. Lunch is served from 11:30 am.

When the Legislature is in session, the Parliamentary Dining Room is open from 8:30 am to 30 minutes post-adjournment on Mondays to Wednesdays, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on Thursdays and from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm on Fridays. The public can access the building then from 8:30 am. Click Parliamentary Dining Room for more information.

Other Information

For further details about the Legislature, including tour information, check out the BC Government website.

Other places of interest within walking distance of the Parliament Buildings include the Inner Harbour , IMAX Theatre , Empress Hotel , Government Street , Bay Centre , Miniature World and Royal BC Museum . Beacon Hill Park also isn’t too far away.

For a list of other things to do in Victoria, check out any of the following:

• Museums, Historical Sites and Tourist Attractions
• Victoria’s Events Calendar
• Victoria Parks & Gardens

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BC Parliament Buildings

The Parliament Buildings are located on the banks of the Inner Harbour in British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria. As one of the dominant features of the downtown core, B.C.’s government buildings are one of Victoria’s must-see sights, teeming with history and culture. They reside on five hectares of lush property, and were constructed on the traditional territories of the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.

Photo by: © Natulive Canada

The buildings, designed by a young, 25-year old architect by the name of Francis Mawson Rattenbury, were constructed from 1893 to 1897, with additions done from 1912-1915. With the Parliament Buildings kicking off his career, Rattenbury went on to build the Empress Hotel, the Steamship Terminal, and Vancouver’s Art Gallery (then a court of justice). Rattenbury eventually met his demise at the hand of his wife’s lover after moving back to his home country, England.

In the summer months, the ghost of Rattenbury and other key figures of British Columbia’s past often wander the grounds—with their permission, you can stop to take a picture with them. They might even pop by on your guided tour to tell you their interesting stories.

During construction, Rattenbury and his crew used many local materials from B.C. to highlight the province’s natural resources. You’ll find the foundations and stairs of the building are made of granite from Nelson Island, and the façade of the building is made of andesite from Haddington Island. Inside, much of the wood is Douglas Fir, but there are also various imported materials scattered throughout the buildings: marble from Tennessee and Italy, and Indiana white oak, for example.

The purpose of the buildings is to serve as the seat of B.C.’s provincial government. It is here that important decisions are made regarding the province on matters such as health, education, transportation, and housing.

The Legislative Assembly is the room where laws are proposed, debated, and passed. During the question period, these debates can get very heated, and the public galleries that surround the upper floor of the room are open to any visitors or locals interested in getting a sense of provincial politics. The rules when viewing are very strict, however, and you cannot clap, talk, write, or take photos. Exceptions are made for journalists.

The Parliament Buildings are the perfect spot to start a tour of Victoria’s downtown area, as they are very central and relatively close to most other major sights or activities. Nearby attractions include the Royal B.C. Museum, Beacon Hill Park, the Empress Hotel, various boutiques and artisan storefronts for shopping, horse-drawn carriage tours, restaurants, whale watching, and Chinatown.

Just past the front lawn of the Parliament buildings are stairs that will take you along the lower causeway of the Inner Harbour. It is a bustling walkway that hosts vendors, musicians, buskers, food trucks, and shops. Highlights include Dave Harris, Victoria’s one-man band, playing lively blues by using various limbs at the same time.

Staying in the area until sun sets is highly recommended. The Parliament Buildings will eventually light up with approximately 3500 energy efficient lightbulbs, highlighting the striking outline of the structure, and making for a great photo opportunity.

Incredibly, the original idea for the lightbulbs was first brought to life in 1897 when the buildings were first completed. This was a time when electricity was still a novel phenomenon. While fewer than there are today, the lightbulbs were strung in honour of Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, as they were supposed to look like diamonds shining brightly in the darkness. The idea was brought back in the 1960s, and since then, the buildings have been lit every single evening at dusk.

While the summer season is Victoria’s liveliest time of the year, the Parliament Buildings are open year-round, from 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday. There are some tours offered during this time, but the buildings are also open for self-guided tours with a booklet.

As tourism season picks up in the summer, tours run from 9am-4:30pm, Monday to Friday. You can count on a tour every half an hour or so, but it varies from day to day. There is often a 5pm tour as well, but a ticket is required as the buildings are technically closed by that time. During the weekdays, the buildings are also open for self-guided tours, but out of respect for guided tours and staff, silence is encouraged. On weekends in the summer, the buildings are only open for guided tours, and visitors must stay with the tour group for the duration of the tour. Picking up a ticket from the podium near the front steps is required. All tours are free of charge, but tickets are for keeping track of numbers.

For all questions regarding tours, calling ahead to +1 (250) 387-3046 is recommended.

Contributed by Anna Dodd

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UK passes bill to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

Lawyers prepare for legal battles on behalf of individual asylum seekers challenging removal to east Africa

• How the UK government’s Rwanda deportation plan was fought in court

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill will become law after peers eventually backed down on amending it, opening the way for legal battles over the potential removal of dozens of people seeking asylum.

After a marathon battle of “ping pong” over the key legislation between the Commons and the Lords, the bill finally passed when opposition and crossbench peers gave way on Monday night.

The bill is expected to be granted royal assent on Tuesday. Home Office sources said they have already identified a group of asylum seekers with weak legal claims to remain in the UK who will be part of the first tranche to be sent to east Africa in July.

Sunak has put the bill, which would deport asylum seekers who arrive in the UK by irregular means to Kigali, at the centre of his attempts to stop small boats crossing the Channel.

The home secretary, James Cleverly, said it was a “landmark moment in our plan to stop the boats”.

In a video posted to social media, he said: “The safety of Rwanda bill has passed in parliament and it will become law within days.

“The act will prevent people from abusing the law by using false human rights claims to block removals. And it makes clear that the UK parliament is sovereign, giving government the power to reject interim blocking measures imposed by European courts.

“I promised to do what was necessary to clear the path for the first flight. That’s what we have done. Now we’re working day in and day out to get flights off the ground.”

Denisa Delić, director of advocacy at International Rescue Committee UK, said on Monday: “Irrespective of today’s passage of the safety of Rwanda bill, sending refugees to Rwanda is an ineffective, unnecessarily cruel and costly approach.

“Rather than outsourcing its responsibilities under international law, we urge the government to abandon this misguided plan and instead focus on delivering a more humane and orderly immigration system at home.

“This includes scaling up safe routes, such as resettlement and family reunion, and upholding the right to seek asylum.”

The Home Office has whittled the list down to 350 migrants who are deemed to pose the least risk of submitting successful legal challenges blocking their deportation.

Lawyers have told the Guardian that they will prepare legal challenges on behalf of individual asylum seekers. They can challenge their removal on a case-by-case basis, which could lead to their being taken off a flight list.

The bill allows challenges if a detainee faces a “real, imminent and foreseeable risk of serious irreversible harm if removed to Rwanda”.

They must lodge an appeal within eight days of receiving a deportation letter. The Home Office would then be given several days to respond. If their appeal is rejected, the person claiming asylum will then be given seven days to lodge a final appeal to an upper tribunal court, which will decide their claim within a further 23 days.

The deal will cost £1.8m for each of the first 300 deportees, the National Audit Office has confirmed.

Matthew Rycroft, the most senior civil servant in the Home Office who has overseen the scheme for two years, previously told MPs he did not have evidence to show that it had a deterrent effect that would make it value for money.

Home Office staff have privately warned that there is a risk of thousands of asylum seekers disappearing once removals begin, keen to avoid receiving notification that they are being sent to Kigali.

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Earlier, MPs stripped out amendments to the bill inserted by the Lords. Crossbench and Labour peers said they would reinsert similar changes in a battle of wills.

The government will not send those who are eligible under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) to Rwanda, a Home Office minister told peers during one of the many debates held on Monday evening.

Lord Sharpe said: “Once this review of Arap decisions for those with credible links to Afghan specialist units has concluded, the government will not remove to Rwanda those who received a positive eligibility decision as a result of this review where they are already in the UK as of today.”

Lord Browne, a Labour former defence secretary who had been leading calls for such an assurance, said: “The minister does not believe this to be a concession, it is to him a restatement of what he has been telling us for some time, but in a different form.”

Meanwhile, leading lawyer and independent crossbencher Lord Anderson of Ipswich said of the Rwanda scheme: “Its benefits remain to be seen. Its costs will be measured, not only in money, but in principles debased: disregard for our international commitments, avoiding statutory protections for the vulnerable, and the removal of judicial scrutiny over the core issue of the safety of Rwanda.”

The prime minister also disclosed that the first flights removing asylum seekers to Rwanda were planned to depart in 10 to 12 weeks, missing his original spring target .

At a specially convened press conference on Monday morning, he said the government would “not let a foreign court” block flights to Rwanda and stressed that he would finally end the “legal merry-go-round” associated with deportation flights.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “No more prevarication, no more delay. Parliament will sit there tonight and vote no matter how late it goes. No ifs, no buts. These flights are going to Rwanda.”

Labour said Sunak was wrong to blame the party’s peers for delaying the Rwanda bill.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “[The] Tories are the largest party in both Houses of Parliament and they could have scheduled the final stages of the bill a month ago but they voluntarily delayed it because they always want someone else to blame.”

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These are the countries where TikTok is already banned

As a TikTok ban moved closer Wednesday, TikTok creators like Caleb Simpson are planning for what’s next. Simpson is known for his home tour series where he approaches a person on the street or celebrity and asks for a tour of their home. He said a third of his income comes from the app, where he has more than 8 million followers. For creators like Simpson, the ban would more than impact their livelihood, the app is also where many creators have built relationships and created memories.

A TikTok content creator, speaks to reporters outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington, as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

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FILE - The TikTok logo is displayed on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen, Oct. 14, 2022, in Boston. TikTok is gearing up for a legal fight against a U.S. law that would force the social media platform to break ties with its China-based parent company or face a ban. A battle in the courts will almost certainly be backed by Chinese authorities as the bitter U.S.-China rivalry threatens the future of a wildly popular way for young Americans to connect online. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

LONDON (AP) — TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where new law threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. It would be the biggest blow yet to the popular video-sharing app, which has faced various restrictions around the world.

TikTok is already banned in a handful of countries and from government-issued devices in a number of others, due to official worries that the app poses privacy and cybersecurity concerns.

Those fears are reflected in the U.S. law, which is the culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington that China’s communist leaders could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data, or influence Americans by suppressing or promoting certain content. TikTok has long maintained that it doesn’t share data with the Chinese government and its CEO has taken a defiant stance, vowing to fight back.

Here are the places that have partial or total bans on TikTok:

AFGHANISTAN

TikTok has been banned since 2022, along with videogame PUBG, after the country’s Taliban leadership decided to forbid access on the grounds of protecting young people from “being misled.”

TikTok is not allowed on devices issued by the Australian federal government. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said he made the decision after getting advice from the country’s intelligence and security agencies.

The National Security Council decided last month to indefinitely ban TikTok from devices owned or paid for by the federal government. The ban was issued on a temporary basis last year on worries about cybersecurity, privacy and misinformation. Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said it was based on warnings from the country’s state security service and cybersecurity center.

Devices issued by the federal government are forbidden from using TikTok. Officials cited an “unacceptable” risk to privacy and security and said the app would be removed from devices and employees blocked from downloading it.

TikTok has never been available in mainland China , a fact that CEO Shou Chew has mentioned in testimony to U.S. lawmakers. ByteDance instead offers Chinese users Douyin, a similar video-sharing app that follows Beijing’s strict censorship rules. TikTok also ceased operations in Hong Kong after a sweeping Chinese national security law took effect.

Denmark’s Defense Ministry banned its employees from having TikTok on their work phones, ordering staffers who have installed it to remove the app from devices as soon as possible. The ministry said the reasons for the ban included both “weighty security considerations” as well as “very limited work-related need to use the app.”

EUROPEAN UNION

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bloc’s three main institutions, have imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliament’s ban, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

“Recreational” use of TikTok and other social media apps like Twitter and Instagram on government employees’ phones has been banned because of worries about insufficient data security measures. The French government didn’t name specific apps but noted the decision came after other governments took measures targeting TikTok.

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps like messaging app WeChat in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens. The companies were given a chance to respond to questions on privacy and security requirements but the ban was made permanent in 2021.

TikTok isn’t entirely banned in the sprawling, populous Southeast Asian nation, only its online retail function, after the authorities clamped down on e-commerce transactions carried out on social media platforms in a bid to protect small businesses.

Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics tweeted that he deleted his TikTok account and that the app is also prohibited from official foreign ministry smartphones.

NETHERLANDS

The Dutch central government banned apps including TikTok from employee work phones citing data security concerns. A government statement did not name TikTok specifically but said civil servants are discouraged from having apps “from countries with an offensive cyber program against the Netherlands and/or Dutch interests installed and used on their mobile work devices.”

The Himalayan country imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok, saying it was disrupting “social harmony” and goodwill and blaming it for a “flow of indecent materials.” Authorities ordered the telecom company to block access to the app.

NEW ZEALAND

Lawmakers in New Zealand and staff at the nation’s Parliament are prohibited from having the TikTok app on their work phones, following advice from government cybersecurity experts. The app was removed from all devices with access to the parliamentary network, although officials can make special arrangements for anybody who needs TikTok to perform their democratic duties.

The Norwegian parliament banned Tiktok on work devices after the country’s Justice Ministry warned the app shouldn’t be installed on phones issued to government employees. The Parliament’s speaker said TikTok shouldn’t be on devices that have access to the assembly’s systems and should be removed as quickly as possible. The country’s capital Oslo and second largest city Bergen also urged municipal employees to remove TikTok from their work phones.

Pakistani authorities have temporarily banned TikTok at least four times since 2020, citing concerns that the app promotes immoral content.

The government ordered telecom companies to block access to TikTok, along with messaging app Telegram and gambling platform 1XBET. Officials said they were concerned that the platforms could spread extremist content, nude images and other material seen as offensive to Somali culture and Islam.

Taiwan imposed a public sector ban on TikTok after the FBI warned that the app posed a national security risk. Government devices, including mobile phones, tablets and desktop computers, are not allowed to use Chinese-made software, which includes apps like TikTok, its Chinese equivalent Douyin, or Xiaohongshu, a Chinese lifestyle content app.

UNITED KINGDOM

British authorities banned TikTok from mobile phones used by government ministers and civil servants. Officials said the ban was a “precautionary move” on security grounds and doesn’t apply to personal devices. The British Parliament followed up by banning TikTok from all official devices and the “wider parliamentary network.” The semi-autonomous Scottish government and London City Hall also banned TikTok from staff devices. The BBC urged staff to delete TikTok from corporate devices unless they’re using it for editorial and marketing reasons.

UNITED STATES

U.S. authorities ordered government agencies to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems over data security concerns. More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces. Montana’s efforts to bring in a state-wide ban failed, as did a proposal in Virginia to block kids from using it.