Queen Victoria is a well-recognized figure in Canadian history.
Queen Victoria
Not only was she the monarch to grant Canada its sovereignty in 1867, she also hand-picked Ottawa as the nation’s capital. It therefore makes sense that this monument was proposed to honour her Diamond Jubilee.
The competition to win the statue’s contract was open only to Canadians, with Quebec sculptor Louis-Philippe Hébert granted the honour of sculpting the monument. The statue was completed in 1900 and exhibited at the Universal Exposition in Paris before settling into its permanent home on the hill.
This statue of Canada’s first monarch is nestled between the West and Centre blocks on Parliament Hill, towering over nearby trees and watching over passers-by. It is one of two statues on the grounds dedicated to the British monarch. The second statue is located in the Library of Parliament.
Although located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, this site exudes a sense of tranquility, with the rush hour traffic of Wellington Street no more than a soothing hum in the distance. One can hear the footfalls and laughter of the site’s many visitors as they tour the grounds. From here, they can see where two of the nation’s oldest provinces converge along the Ottawa River in a merger of English and French culture.
The nearby picnic tables offer an excellent view of the regal monument. Just as she watched over Canada as the country’s sovereign, Queen Victoria, who died in January 1901, continues to watch over the people of Ottawa from her pedestal atop Parliament Hill.