Mr. Speaker, last Saturday, I attended the Uxbridge Rotary Club's Canada 150 event, where $10,000 was raised to support an important community project. This project is to create a sculpture of Lieutenant-Colonel Sam Sharpe by local artist Wynn Walters.
During World War I, Sharpe led the 116th Battalion into several battles, including Vimy Ridge. Elected to represent Uxbridge in 1908, he became the only MP to be re-elected while serving on the battlefield. After he returned, Sharpe suffered from shell shock, now known as PTSD. Faced with having to return home to the families of those who had died by his side, he tragically took his own life.
I want to thank the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the Minister of Veterans Affairs for supporting this project and securing $70,000 in funding to honour this Canadian hero in his hometown. It is time we recognized Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe's bravery and service here in this place, as a symbol for those who have suffered from PTSD while in the line of duty.