News that Prime Minister Stephen Harper is considering using the heritage building at 100 Wellington St. in Ottawa for private prime ministerial functions has roused baffled comment from across the Atlantic. Edward Jones, lead architect of the possibly doomed plans to renovate the site for the Portrait Gallery of Canada, said yesterday: “Why in the world can't a portrait gallery serve a double purpose – what's the matter with you guys?”
Last week, an access-to-information request showed that the Prime Minister's Office has asked the Department of Public Works to study “the use of 100 Wellington as a centre d'accueil for the Prime Minister.” In March, Public Works produced a plan that reconfigured the building for private meeting rooms and dining facilities, off limits to the public for security reasons. This seemed an odd use of prime public space, as Harper has held very few state dinners. Besides, he already has venues such as Rideau Hall, the parliamentary precincts and 24 Sussex Dr. for such events.
The government insists that the fate of 100 Wellington, the former U.S. embassy, is still under consideration. “No decision has been made with respect to the use of this building,” said Jacques C. Gagnon, director of communications for Public Works.
But when decisions are finalized, it's worth noting that the National Portrait Gallery in London confirms that public and prime ministerial hosting functions are in fact quite compatible. Conservative prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major both used the London portrait gallery for special occasions; former U.S. president Bill Clinton and former South African president Nelson Mandela have been wined and dined there. Royal occasions, including a visit by Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, have taken place under the weighty gaze of Tudor kings and 18th-century prime ministers.
“A portrait gallery is not just a passive backdrop, it's an active participant in statements about a nation's characteristics,” said National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne, speaking from London. “And modern museums are fantastically secure. They have to be. Our museum is used for functions involving political leaders. It's part of national life.”
Of course, the NPG, as an independent body, is also used by civilian groups. But with its top-floor view of the Palace of Westminster and Trafalgar Square, it commands a panorama of the nation's centres of power, much like the 100 Wellington St. site in Ottawa.
It is thought the chief strike against locating the portrait gallery at 100 Wellington is that originally the project was a Liberal initiative ($11-million had already been spent at the time the Conservatives declined to renew contracts on the gallery's construction). “But a portrait gallery is above politics and reflects the heart and soul of the nation,” Jones said. Said Nairne, “One needs reasonably cross-party agreement that a portrait gallery is good for a nation.”
