Activities

Activities We protect the Parliament of Canada across multiple sites, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Service maintains a comprehensive security operation to ensure that parliamentarians and employees can carry out their legislative duties in a safe, secure, and open environment. We also balance security needs and visitor access to promote a safe and positive experience on Parliament Hill, and across the Parliamentary Precinct.

Our key roles and responsibilities include:

Protective operations

We provide protective services for parliamentarians, employees, visitors, and buildings on Parliament Hill and within the Parliamentary Precinct.

Detection and access control

We control all access to Parliament Hill and the Parliamentary Precinct.

Perimeter protection

We protect the Parliament of Canada to prevent, detect, and respond to potential threats.

Alarm monitoring

We monitor and respond to alarms on Parliament Hill and within the Parliamentary Precinct.

Operational communications

We manage all operational communications via our Operations Support Centre.

Ceremonial traditions

We ensure that ceremonial traditions are carried out safely and securely, and we provide the necessary uniformed resources to support parliamentary traditions.

Partnerships Strategic partnerships are critical to our success.

We operate in a multi-jurisdictional environment that includes many different partners. A high degree of communication, collaboration, and coordination between us and our partners ensures the effectiveness and efficiency of our intelligence-led, strategically layered protective operations. The Service will continue to strengthen strategic partnerships and collaboration opportunities. Key partners include the Senate, House of Commons, Library of Parliament, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Ottawa Police Service, and government departments and agencies.

Books of Remembrance We will remember them.

Since 1942, Protection Officers have performed the daily Turning of the Page Ceremony in honour of Canadians who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country. During the ceremony, a Protection Officer marches in front of the First World War Book of Remembrance, bows, salutes and turns the page. This process is repeated for all eight Books of Remembrance to ensure each page of each book is turned once a year. The Protection Officer marches back to the room entrance, and bows and salutes before ending the ceremony.

This solemn ritual takes place every morning at eleven o’clock in the Room of Remembrance located in the new Visitor Welcome Centre. A Protection Officer is always present to ensure the security of the Books.

We want to ensure that our veterans are given every opportunity to join us. The Parliamentary Protective Service encourages veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces to self-identify when applying for our job opportunities.