A gardener works on the grounds at the Prime Minister's residence at 24 Sussex Dr. in Ottawa. Nearly four years after Justin Trudeau opted not to move into the prime minister's official residence over concerns about its crumbling state, the building remains vacant.Tom Hanson/The Canadian Press
The Prime Minister of Canada deserves a residence worthy of this country. 24 Sussex Dr. deserves a future. But the solution to the first challenge might be different from the solution to the second.
The prime minister’s official residence is in desperate straits. The house is uninhabitable: filled with asbestos, mould and dead rodents.
Successive prime ministers, fearing they would be accused of extravagance, refused to authorize needed repairs. Stephen Harper would not permit renovations when he was in office, because he didn’t want to be seen asking the taxpayer to finance lavish accommodations.
In 2015, with the house becoming unsafe, Justin Trudeau moved his family into Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Government House. But he also refused to authorize renovations to the house where he grew up.
Canadians should be proud of their national capital, and their democratic system of government. One of the symbols of that democracy is the residence of the prime minister. Letting the official residence decay does not speak well of us – the prime minister needs a proper place to live and to carry out their duties.
The National Capital Commission reports that it is about to undertake abatement procedures that are necessary regardless of what happens to the building, such as removing the asbestos and dead rodents. (Yes, yuck.)
After that, the NCC should be told to either carry on and demolish the house, or to carry on and fix it. Either way, it’s time to decide.
One option might be to restore 24 Sussex but not to use it as the prime minister’s residence. Occupants have long complained that the house is poorly designed for official business. The dining room, for example, is too small for state functions.
And though the house is better guarded than it was in 1995 when an intruder climbed over a fence, smashed a window and entered the house at night, the property doesn’t meet modern security standards. (That night, Aline Chrétien locked the bedroom door, and Jean Chrétien brandished a soapstone carving while waiting for the RCMP to eventually arrive.)
“It might be hard to retrofit the building for 21st-century needs,” Leslie Maitland of Heritage Ottawa told me. “There are other sites around town that could better suit the needs of a prime minister’s family and the needs of a head of government.”
There are properties in the affluent neighbourhood of Rockcliffe Park that might be suitable – Ms. Maitland cites the residence of the papal nuncio as one example – or a new residence could go up on the grounds of Rideau Hall.
It’s possible that 24 Sussex itself could be expanded, rehabilitated and made secure. Or the existing building could be replaced with a new, larger and more secure structure.
Regardless, it’s going to cost $40-million, give or take, and the longer the government waits, the higher the cost will be.
Everyone knows what needs to be done. The Prime Minister needs to appoint a panel of apolitical specialists to examine options and come up a recommended solution. Perhaps former governor-general David Johnston could – just kidding!
To further protect against accusations of conflict of interest, all political parties could agree that no prime minister will inhabit any new or refurbished residence for 10 years. It will take at least that long to decide and execute a plan.
Here’s a suggestion: The American ambassador’s residence is located on spacious grounds in Rockcliffe Park, though the house may be too small to serve as the residence of a head of government. Perhaps Canada and the United States could swap. They could agree to relocate the ambassador’s residence to a restored 24 Sussex. Since the residences of the British High Commissioner and French ambassador are just down the street, putting the American ambassador in 24 Sussex would be a natural fit.
Meanwhile, the NCC could hold a design competition for a new house on the site of the former American ambassadorial residence that would fit the needs of the prime minister, their family and the country.
There are any number of possibilities. But what matters is ending the inertia. Let’s get this done.
John Ibbitson