Stop 1: Introduction

This guided sound walk invites participants to consider how the soundscapes of Ottawa have shaped and continue to shape Canada’s national sonic imagination. Music and sound are felt physically and psychologically, they are embedded in our sociocultural practices, and are thus capable of generating powerful emotions. In Ottawa and on Parliament Hill, these affective qualities are tied to the projection of national identities, interests, and narratives that resonate across the country and around the world.

The National Capital Region is situated on unceded Algonquin territory, and has long been a meeting place for Indigenous peoples. Despite promises guaranteeing the land rights of First Nations, no land treaties have been negotiated between the Algonquin Nation and the Canadian State. As a settler colonial society, Canadian institutions, narratives, and social relationships have been shaped by British imperialism and colonial racism, which can be seen and heard in the architecture, ceremonies, regulations, and soundscapes of Parliament Hill. Official multiculturalism and other policy priorities of the Canadian government also resonate throughout the Parliamentary Precinct, sending powerful messages about who is and isn’t included in official narratives.

Throughout the sound walk, we listen critically for sites of erasure, contestation, and resurgence. What role does music and sound play in shaping national narratives on Parliament Hill? What histories are amplified, attenuated, and silenced in these soundscapes? How are music and sound mobilized to challenge and disrupt official narratives? How is sound regulated in the Parliamentary Precinct, and what kinds of sociality does this afford? How does the sonic environment choreograph visitors’ movements in the area?

This sound walk unfolds chronologically, revealing layers of soundscapes and their sonic traces through time. Beginning with a reflection on the land as unceded Algonquin territory, we consider the sonic violence of settler colonialism in the establishment of the settler city and future capital. We proceed to examine the sonic legacies of British imperialism and the spectacular ceremonies that reassert Britishness as the core Canadian identity, and that serve as important tourist attractions. Moving off the Hill, we examine more recent expressions of official multiculturalism in the broader Precinct, visiting the statue of Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, and then looping back to listen to sonic manifestations of contemporary political movements, including Idle No More and the 2022 Freedom Convoy.​ As we walk, I invite you to pay close attention to the sounds around us - what resonates, what feels familiar, and what sounds might be absent.​