The Lieutenant-Colonel Sam Sharpe Relief was designed by artist Tyler Brindley in memory of Sharpe's service in the First World War. Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe was first elected to the House of Commons in 1908 and was re-elected in 1911 as the Member of Parliament for Ontario North. He was sitting as a Member of Parliament at the start of the First World War, and helped raise the 116th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. He commanded the 116th Battalion during its operations on the fields of Europe and was re-elected by his constituents again in December 1917, while he was fighting on the battlefields of France. His unit was present for the assault on Vimy Ridge and fought at Avion and Passchendaele. After suffering mental injuries on the front, he was hospitalized in England and subsequently returned to Canada. Lieutenant-Colonel Sharpe died by suicide on May 25, 1918, when he jumped from a window at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal.
Member of Parliament Erin O'Toole's motion to install a plaque to commemorate Sharpe passed unanimously on May 24, 2018. There was already a sculpture in the foyer dedicated to the only serving Member of Parliament to have died in combat. Lieutenant Colonel George Baker was killed during the Battle of Mount Sorrel in June 1916, and his statue was erected in 1924. O'Toole, whose tenure as Minister of Veterans Affairs Canada was dominated by concerns about Veterans suffering from psychological injuries, felt it was time to honour Sharpe — and send a message of support to those in need.
The initiative received support from retired Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, whose experience in Rwanda and subsequent struggle with post traumatic stress disorder are known to many Canadians. "Putting a commemoration plaque not far from Baker's is to recognize that they don't all die on the battlefield. A bunch of them die at home from injuries of the battlefield," Dallaire said. "And it should not be hidden away."
Artist Tyler Briley, had also struggled with post traumatic stress disorder from his days as a firefighter. He completed the plaque in 2015 and it was unveiled at the Sam Sharpe Breakfast during mental health week in 2016. The plaque was initially unveiled in Sam Sharpe's hometown of Uxbridge, Ontario, later erected in the foyer of the Centre Block, Parliament Hill and unveiled on November 7, 2018.
The relief was relocated to the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre Operational Stress Injury Clinic, while the Centre Block undergoes extensive renovations, possibly lasting until 2029.
