The new temporary Senate Chamber at the Senate of Canada Building, formerly the Government Conference Centre, is shown in Ottawa on December 13, 2018. The long-delayed introduction of cameras to broadcast meetings of the Senate is proceeding after a shaky start. The House of Commons has been televised for more than 40 years but the Senate is only beginning to broadcast meetings in its main chamber with a move into a temporary home while Centre Block is being renovated. A special engineer was brought in to deal with the wobbly cameras, which were attributed to "natural vibrations and inherent movements" endemic to older structures. The new Senate chamber was retrofitted into a former train station in downtown Ottawa, a block off Parliament Hill, that opened in 1912. It's older than Centre Block, which had to be rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1916. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Republished February 10, 2019 - 1:10 PM
Original Publication Date February 10, 2019 - 10:41 AM
OTTAWA - Viewers won't have to adjust their television sets when the Senate starts broadcasting its meetings, as the upper chamber says it has fixed a problem with one of its brand new cameras.
The Canadian Press reported last week that the Senate was forced to bring in a special engineer to deal with wobbly cameras as the Red Chamber prepared to start broadcasting for the very first time.
While the House of Commons has been televised for more than 40 years, the Senate plans to start broadcasting video of its meetings starting no later than March 1.
The decision coincided with the upper chamber being temporarily relocated into a former train station in downtown Ottawa while Centre Block is being renovated.
However, "natural vibrations and inherent movements" endemic to older structures had created problems with one camera in particular that wouldn't stop shaking.
Senate spokeswoman Alison Korn says the problem was fixed late Friday, meaning Canadians won't need to take any Gravol before tuning in.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019