Hôtel du Parlement

The National Assembly building is a Second Empire structure completed in 1886. It’s home to the Provincial Legislature. Free tours are given in English and French year-round. The 30-minute visits get you into the National Assembly Chamber, the Legislative Council Chamber and the Speakers’ Gallery. The facade of the building is decorated with 23 bronze statues of significant provincial historical figures, including explorer Samuel de Champlain (1570–1635), early New France governor Louis de Buade Frontenac (1622–98) and battle heroes like James Wolfe (1727–59) and Louis-Joseph Montcalm (1712–59), the English and French generals who met, fought and received mortal wounds on the nearby Plains of Abraham. On the grounds are more recent figures in Québec’s tumultuous history, including Maurice Duplessis (1890–1959) who kept a stranglehold on the province during his 20-year-long premiership. The grounds here are also used for staging events during Winter Carnival. Note the fairly new flower-trimmed fountain facing the grounds, installed in celebration of the city’s 400th anniversary. It’s a fine vantage point for photographing the building.