At a time when the federal government is spending $28 million to
promote the anniversary of the War of 1812, the significant
funding cuts being proposed for the Rideau Canal system are
inconsistent and baffling. The canal is a historical gem, a
designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose painstaking and
sometimes deadly construction was integral to the founding and
development of Bytown, and to the eventual selection of Ottawa
as the country’s capital. There is, in fact, a direct link
between the War of 1812, which is being commemorated through a
special silver dollar, a national monument, re-enactments,
exhibits and more, and the canal. The Rideau Canal was built as
a strategic military initiative after a report during the War of
1812 that the U.S. intended to invade Upper Canada by way of the
St. Lawrence River, which would have cut Kingston off from
Montreal. The Rideau Canal provided an alternate route to
Montreal, by way of the Ottawa River. Although it was never used
as a military supply route, the can