The largest space in the Senate of Canada Building, the General Waiting Room, is the most iconic space of the building. As Ottawa Union Station, the space was used to host large amounts of travellers waiting for their trains. It was one large space with circulation, seating, and a large clock for efficient circulation of its inhabitants. The ceiling was a typical large barrel-vaulted ceiling spanning the whole space, and it was decorated with octagonal-shaped coffers that featured carved ornament inside the octagons. Now as the Senate of Canada Building, the space has been divided to hold many functions in the large space. In the middle, the space has mostly kept to its true form, keeping the same full height and seats for waiting near the reception and security desk. On either side of the middle section, gold screen additions have been added to conceal the conference rooms and offices that have been added behind them, as seen in a 2016 comparison. These screens have images of a Canadian landscape to emphasize the representation of nationalism in the building. Above the conference room spaces, a media library has been added to each side, splitting these additions into two-level spaces rather than the previous full-heighted space. Since the space was rehabilitated, the original ceilings were preserved, but were re-plastered with a white finish. The clock, a main feature of train stations, is still located at its high, central point as if to remind visitors of the building’s dynamic past. An original bench from the station is also placed in the centre of the space to provide seating and a tribute to the past. The use of gold indicates the newer, modern additions, while the rest of the space was rehabilitated to the original aesthetic. To elaborate the height of the space, large Corinthian columns support the ceiling, and large semi-circular windows with detailed frames adorn the top of the Waiting Room. Above the reception and security desk, visitors can see a walkway addition encased in gold looking onto the space from the south side, and in that reception space there are images of more important contributors brought over from the Centre Block. 

A space in Parliament’s Centre Block comparable to the Waiting Room is the Senate Foyer. The Senate Foyer is also a grand, tall space, but it is a lot smaller than the General Waiting Room. The ceiling of this space also possesses hexagonal shaped coffers, but they are decorated with stained glass images of symbols from European cultures that contributed to the founding of Canada ("Senate Virtual Tour" 2019). A visual of this space is demonstrated below. A dark red carpet lines the perimeter to encourage a procession around the space and allows visitors to acknowledge the painted portraits of monarchs along the walls. The height of the space is emphasized with tall pointed arches connected to the ground with thick bases. There are two waiting chairs on either side of the entrance to the Chamber and two chairs on opposing walls of the foyer, which further encourages people to move around the space since there is not a lot of seating. There are some stone carvings in the masonry: ornamental patterns or shapes, or small sculptures of important people like monarchs or the sculptors themselves ("Senate Virtual Tour" 2019). From inside the foyer, visitors can also see some of the upper level above the space through smaller pointed arch openings. 

The General Waiting Room is a beautiful space adapted for the Senate. The careful selection and placement of the furniture and decorations in the space represent both the past and the present, which also serves as a metaphor for the buildings users. The objects chosen have direct connections to Ottawa and Canada, while the Senate Foyer had objects with indirect connections to Canada relating to Monarchs and European cultures. Although they helped start Canada, the overpowering symbolism of these objects radiate the history of Canada through other nations, but the current interior objects show that Canada has its own history that has contributed to its own progression. By meshing the heritage and the modern, the current General Waiting Room becomes a metaphor for Canada's future, rather than repeatedly reciting Canada's past like the Senate Foyer.