The government of Canada wanted to demolish the Rideau Canal.

Canada Heritage Foundation - Measure to Establish Foundation   Ottawa  May 26, 1970.
Edmund Boyd Osler (Winnipeg South Centre) Liberal
Mr. Osler:
     "I have had the pleasure of boating on the Rideau Canal. All one has to do is spend an afternoon reading the historical background on the life of Colonel By, look at some of the stones on the banks of the canal and at some of the wooden gates to understand the wonderful craftsmanship, engineering skill and workmanship which went into this project. What a crime it would have been had all of this been allowed to go.It was nearly let go...I gather it was only a few years ago that the federal government decided it was worth preserving."
I hope that Parks Canada will not go ahead with their plan to privatize the infrastructure in Canada's National Parks. The Rideau Canal is a Parks Canada National Historic Site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And all of the Rideau Canal locks and lock stations are classified as infrastructure.
Do not let the Chateau Laurier, Ottawa Hospital or the town of Smiths Falls construct buildings that  interfere with sight lines of the National Historic Site. 

"A wise nation preserves its records, gathers up its monuments, decorates the tombs of its illustrious dead, repairs its greatest public structures and fosters national pride and love of country, by perpetual reference to the sacrifices and glories of the past." Joseph Howe, a Nova Scotia journalist, politician, public servant and poet.

Parks Canada 2012 Rideau Corridor Landscape Character Assessment and planning and Management Final Report
1.)  Understand and respect the local landscape character.
2.)  Conserve historic buildings and cultural heritage features.

The town of Merrickville and Rideau Canal locks.

3.)  Conserve, protect and enhance wetlands.
4.)  Maintain and retain natural shoreline.
5.)  Locate development back from shoreline.
6.)  Work with the landscape, not against it.
7.)  Design buildings to complement the site.
8.)  Design residential docks and boathouses for low impact.
9.)  Protect the water quality.
10.)Prevent hazards and property damage.

The Bytown Museum. The photo is from ottawatourism.ca.