Police said 'two or three' gunmen opened fire inside the building, and one has now been shot dead.
After Parliament Hill was placed on lockdown, another shooting was reported at the Rideau Centre mall, which is just 500 meters away, suggesting a coordinated attack.
A massive police hunt is underway across Ottawa for a gunman authorities believe is still at large.
The shooting spree began at 9.52am, as the leaders of Parliament were holding their weekly meetings. Witnesses reported seeing a gunman climb out of a car, grab a rifle, shoot the soldier in the abdomen and then run towards Parliament.
Ottawa police received a call at 9.54am that shots had been heard inside the building, while journalists cowering inside said they heard dozens of rounds and could smell gunpowder in the halls
A spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Harper was safe after being evacuated from Parliament Hill. He will make a statement about the attacks later today.
He had been scheduled to give Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize, her Canadian citizenship today.
The incident also comes just two days after two Canadian soldiers were run over - and one of them killed - in Quebec by a man with jihadist sympathies. See pictures and video below...
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