Mr. Speaker, the canal is located along the Ottawa River between Ottawa and Montreal. It was constructed between 1819 and 1833 to bypass the rapids of the Ottawa River and to play a defensive role in any potential future conflict.
When completed, the Grenville Canal combined with the Carillon Canal, the Chute-à-Blondeau Canal, and the Rideau Canal to form an essential military supply and communications route between Montreal and the Great Lakes.
Although originally designed for military use, the Grenville Canal quickly became an important commercial route. By the 1870s its shallowness made it inadequate for commercial use and it was completely rebuilt. All traces of the original canal were removed in the construction of its replacement. The Grenville Canal was eventually closed in 1959 with the construction of the Carillon Dam, which flooded almost all of the canal, leaving only a short surviving section.
Since 1919, the Government of Canada has been commemorating important aspects of Canada's history through national historic sites, persons and events. The Government of Canada has recognized the important role of the Grenville Canal. On the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, it was designated in 1929 as a national historic event. In 1931, a large stone cairn was constructed to hold a bronze commemorative plaque. That original 1930s cairn and plaque are still in place today, proudly sharing with Canadians the historical significance of the Grenville Canal.
I would like to assure the member for Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel that our government is strongly committed to supporting communities and to the preservation of Canada's built heritage.
Just before Christmas my colleague, the Minister of the Environment, announced the government's renewed commitment to Parks Canada's national historic sites cost-sharing program.
Since 2009, our government has funded a total of 132 projects across the country for the conservation of non-federally owned national historic sites. Through these projects we have injected $177 million into local communities, which clearly demonstrates our commitment to conserving and presenting Canada's history for future generations of Canadians.
Our government will continue to be proud stewards of the Rideau Canal and work to ensure that it is protected in order to provide personal moments of inspiring discovery for Canadians and for people from around the world.