Every day, more than 600 Government of Alberta employees, members of the legislative assembly and their staff use the Federal Building in Edmonton as a base to represent and serve Albertans. Alberta’s Government is proud to officially rename this building in honour of Her late Majesty.
The Queen Elizabeth II Building, formerly the Federal Building, is located on the northeast corner of the legislature grounds.
“This is a meaningful way for our province to celebrate the extraordinary reign of Queen Elizabeth II and to ensure that Her late Majesty’s legacy of dedicated service and citizenship continues to inspire generations of Albertans to come.”
In the spirit of honouring Her late Majesty’s lifetime of service, Alberta’s government is awarding Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medals to 82 well-deserving Albertans who have worked tirelessly to make our province a better place. These recipients are leaders in the fields of philanthropy, music, culture, community and public service, and volunteerism.
Alberta’s Government is proud to recognize the Albertans whose selfless contributions have made a positive impact on their neighbours and communities. We thank them, and it is fitting that we honour their accomplishments in the name of Canada’s longest serving head-of-state, who gave her life in service to her nation and the Commonwealth.
“Queen Elizabeth II served Albertans as our head of state for seven decades. She exemplified dignity and duty, and represented the strength of the democratic traditions found in our Westminster parliamentary system, and our constitutional monarchy. Renaming the Federal Building is a fitting tribute to this remarkable lady, whose name will inspire generations to come.”
The Queen Elizabeth II Building opened in 1958 to house Government of Canada offices. Following the building’s acquisition and restoration by the Government of Alberta, it re-opened in 2015 to house offices, meeting rooms, and public event spaces for the Legislative Assembly and the Government of Alberta. Rooms in the building’s 10th floor were named to honour the Royal Family, including the Windsor Room.
Planning for the renaming of the Federal Building to the Queen Elizabeth II Building began in early 2022 as part of Alberta’s celebration of Her late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her 70 years on the throne. Consent for the name change was provided to the government by Buckingham Palace in early August.
Permanent Queen Elizabeth II signage will be installed on the building in the coming weeks in a manner that will preserve as much of the building’s original art deco stonework as possible.
Quick facts
- Originally designed in the 1930s for the Government of Canada, the building’s construction was delayed by the Great Depression and Second World War.
- The structure housed federal staff from 1958 until 1988, when its occupants moved to the newly built Canada Place in downtown Edmonton.
- The building sat empty from 1988 to 2010, when the Government of Alberta began redeveloping it to serve as offices for MLAs and government staff. The first of more than 600 people began working in the building in February 2015.