CANADA CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

The light displays now shine every evening from 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. until January 7.

Canadian paralympian Benoit Huot and former Olympics moguls champion Jean-Luc Brassard launched the ceremony.

Brassard said that the Christmas Lights program, which was launched in 1985 to brighten the Ottawa winter, became more environment-friendly this year.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): JEAN-LUC BRASSARD, Olympics moguls champion

"Thank you all for coming tonight to celebrate this great Canadian tradition. The lighting of the holiday lights on Parliament Hill symbolize peace, hope and joy. And this year the Hill has been decorated with 15,000 low energy lights."

Christmas Lights Across Canada is celebrated in all 13 provincial and territorial capitals, with light shows illuminating each provincial legislatures simultaneously with Parliament Hill.

As part of Ottawa's national event, recorded audio messages from the provincial and territorial leaders were played for the crowd.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH&FRENCH):

"Hello, Bonjour, I' m Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario."

"Bonjour. Ici Pauline Marois premiere minstre du Quebec [Hello. It' s Pauline Marois premier of Quebec]"

"Hello, I' m Stephen MacNeil, premier of Nova Scotia."

Minister of Canadian Heritage Shelly Glover officially switched on the lights around 6:30 p.m. local time.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): SHELLY GLOVER, Minister of Canadian Heritage

"I want to remind all of you that we will be celebrating our 150th anniversary of confederation in 2017 so you better celebrate hard tonight. We've got more to come in a couple of years."

Originally, the program began with lights only on Parliament Hill, but over the years the program expanded.

Now, Ottawa and Gatineau glow each winter with Christmas lights at over 60 sites along Confederation Boulevard.

However, the Christmas Lights Across Canada program is running out of money and will soon go dark without an infusion of cash.