Speech from the throne now a uniquely Ottawa traffic issue

Good morning commuters!

There was a dusting of snow overnight. Holy smokes, it sure is pretty.

Perhaps a little slippery, though.

Truthfully, the real spectacle happens this afternoon when the Governor General delivers the speech from the throne.

Normally, this happens with a short procession from the House of Commons down the hall to the Senate chambers.

Watch Greg Peters the Usher of the Black Rod summon MPs to the Senate to hear the Throne Speech

9 years ago

Duration 4:40

Watch Greg Peters the Usher of the Black Rod summon MPs to the Senate to hear the Throne Speech

But as we know, the Senate is now about two blocks east of Parliament Hill in the old central train station.

So around 3 p.m. expect road closures on Wellington Street as a vehicle carries the Usher of the Black Rod, who's officially the Queen's messenger in Parliament, to knock on the Commons' door.

Dressed in a black tailcoat and bicorne hat, he raps three times with the gold-tipped ebony cane and summons the MPs to the Senate to listen to the speech.

A caravan of mini buses will carry the the MPs roughly 600 metres down the street to the Senate, causing more road closures.

All of it at the start of the afternoon peak period.

That's bound to cause some tie-ups.

Have a great day!