On the Commemoration of the Willowbank Estate As a National Historic Site of Canada

May 25, 2006

Queenston, Ontario
Check Against Delivery

Greetings

Your Worship Lord Mayor Borroughs, Ms. Dodson, Mr. Stokes, Dr. Bothwell,

Ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment and minister responsible for Parks Canada, I’m very happy to be here in Queenston, at the very heart of the beautiful and historic Niagara Peninsula.

It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to meet and speak with so many old friends.

The first thing I’d like to do is convey the greetings and best wishes of Minister Ambrose.

She shares our enthusiasm and love for heritage preservation, and is delighted by today’s celebration of the official commemoration of the Willowbank Estate as a national historic site of Canada.

Introduction

The Niagara Peninsula is particularly rich in history and national historic sites.

Places like Butler’s Barracks, Fort George and Navy Island speak to Canada’s proud history, as well as to a national and local determination to preserve our heritage and pass it along to future generations.

But the place where we are today, beautiful Willowbank Estate, is unique.

It is not a battlefield or a fort, and it has no associations with military or political history, nor even with anyone who was particularly famous.

Willowbank’s designation as a national historic site and today’s commemoration tell us a lot about the way that Canada’s approach to heritage preservation is evolving.

It also highlights the way that Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada are trying to capture all the many different elements that, taken together, make up the magnificent tapestry of Canada’s past.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

In this respect, and so many others, today’s commemoration and plaque unveiling represent a red-letter day for heritage preservation in Canada.

The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada has been at work since 1919.

Made up of respected historians and specialists from every province and territory of Canada, it works closely with Parks Canada to promote and protect Canada’s heritage.

Since its establishment, the Board has designated more than 1,800 people, places and events as being worthy of commemoration.

Our thinking about built heritage has also expanded a great deal since 1919.

Now, we rightly talk about the heritage value of architecture, streetscapes, whole districts, gardens, and rural and urban landscapes.

And the commemoration of Willowbank, as a national historic site of Canada, is a very fine example of what we are doing.

Willowbank Estates

Willowbank boasts the qualities of Classical revival architecture, fused with Romantic picturesque ideas of landscape, that were characteristic of country estates in 19th century Upper Canada.

Few surviving estates illustrate such an exceptional achievement in concept and design.

Willowbank is a window into the past, a window into a time long gone.

A window that allows Canadians to visualize what life was like in this part of Canada for a segment of the upper class, in the first third of the 19th century.

With a little imagination we can step back in time to some degree, and begin to experience what life might have been like for the well-to-do, in an age renowned for its sense and sensibility.

As the beauty of Willowbank washes over us, we can’t help but imagine ourselves in another world.

The preservation of places like Willowbank becomes even more important when we recall that Canada has already lost far too much of its built and architectural heritage.

In the last generation, 20 per cent of our pre-1920s historic buildings have been lost to demolition.

That’s unfortunate, particularly when we consider how much our historic places can contribute to the vitality and economic prosperity of our communities.

Through commemorations like today’s, we are taking action to preserve our historic places.

Because, if we don’t preserve places like Willowbank, and the stories they tell us, future generations will have great difficulty in perceiving and appreciating our shared heritage.

The Budget and Canadian Heritage

Canada’s New Government is building a strong and united Canada.

In fact, we believe that the federal government has an important role to play in preserving Canada’s natural and historic heritage.

This is why in our first Budget, we eliminated the capital gains tax on donations of publicly listed securities to charities.

This will help create a donations pool that can be used to support worthy charitable causes and projects aiming at protecting our cultural heritage.

A Conservative Government will continue to support programs that allow us to honour our national parks, museums, historic figures and sights such as Willowbank estates -- an enduring reminder to future generations of the path we have worn as a nation.

Niagara-on-the-Lake Conservancy

So all Canadians owe a debt of gratitude to organizations like the Niagara-on-the-Lake Conservancy.

We must also thank Ms. Laura Dodson, President of the Conservancy, who nominated Willowbank for consideration as a national historic site, and who worked so hard to transform her dream into a reality.

An entire community is responsible for our being here today.

On behalf of all Canadians, I’d like to thank you for what you have done.

Your work is an example to others across the country, one that will help to generate and foster an even stronger culture of heritage preservation in Canada.

Conclusion

Our lives are enriched when we value and preserve key examples of our heritage, and the many different stories that have made our society what it is today.

The designation and commemoration of Willowbank by the Government of Canada will ensure that the built heritage of early 19th century Upper Canada is appreciated for generations to come.

Thank you.