Even the important business of Congress was not enough to prevent members of Congress from sneaking out to catch a glimpse of history in the sky.
On Monday, dozens of elected officials, including Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre, gathered on a hill and craned their necks toward the sky.
As darkness fell, Poièvre spoke from behind standard eclipse glasses and described the moment as “surreal.”
“It really feels like another world,” Poièvre said as the air around her grew colder.
“I hope you all have a good time and don’t let anyone stare into the sun for too long because I want them to be able to read the briefing notes when they get back to the House,” he added with a laugh.
Public Safety Minister Dominique Leblanc, Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre will all be watching the eclipse from Parliament Hill.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen watching the scene from the roof of the building that houses the prime minister’s office.
Liberal MP Jaime Batiste, standing on a small lawn, said this was one of the highlights of his time on the Hill.
“It’s kind of humbling,” Batiste said while wearing eclipse glasses. “At this point, no one cares what political party you belong to. You’re just a human being who accepts the phenomenon.”
Environment Minister Stephen Guilbeault smiled as he took in the spectacle, saying parliamentary activities had been temporarily suspended to allow MPs and their staff to enjoy the partial solar eclipse.
“Millions of people in this country are very excited,” Guilbeault said, quickly putting on his glasses and taking another look.
Liberal MP Marco Mendicino looked skyward and simply said, “Cool.”
NDP MP Leah Gazan shared a laugh with fellow MPs Lori Idraut and Jenny Kwan as they watched the moon float over the sun.
“I think it must be more exciting than it looks,” Kwan said immediately after taking off his glasses.
“But they say something like this won’t happen for another 300 years, and I certainly won’t be alive by then. So it’s now or never.”
Idraut, on the other hand, had something in mind that went beyond the sun and moon. “Today is his colleague Leah Gazan’s birthday, so I’m really excited.”
Footage from above Sherbrooke, Kenya, showed the moment the total solar eclipse appeared in the sky, prompting thunderous applause from onlookers.
Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez said it was a “huge moment” to witness the scene. But when a large truck tried to pass by where Rodriguez was left on the road, he swerved to try to block another truck from coming.
“If it hit me, it would be a bigger deal,” he laughed.
Further down Wellington Street, an investigation into foreign interference was also suspended, allowing lawyers, witnesses and journalists to watch the show.
As the sky darkened, they stood outside the Library and Archives building in downtown Ottawa, some sharing eclipse glasses.
