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The smell of fresh varnish hung in the air Friday as the government showcased the renovated West Block that will serve as “the heart of Canada’s democratic parliamentary system” for at least the next decade.

While Centre Block undergoes extensive renovations, MPs will move to the West Block in January 2019 to meet in a new interim House of Commons constructed within the rectangular interior courtyard of the edifice. It’s a 19th-century structure that pre-dates Confederation and was built long before modern building codes.

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“At the end of the day, the most important objective is to make sure we deliver facilities that meet the full needs of Parliament and that will inspire future Canadians for generations to come,” said Rob Wright, assistant deputy minister of the Parliamentary Precinct Branch.

Work has been underway on West Block for more than seven years. The numbers are staggering: Some 70,000 cubic metres of bedrock — enough to fill 28 Olympic-sized swimming pools — has been hewn from beneath the building to a depth of 15 metres. Five million tonnes of structural steel (Canadian made) was added to the building to support the glass roof over the interim House and protect the building against earthquakes.

It is the largest masonry restoration project in Canadian history and involved working on the 140,000 stones in the building’s exterior walls and replacing 1.5 million bricks in the interior walls.

West Block’s renovation and restoration is expected to cost $863 million when complete.