Prime Minister Mark Carney has refused to say whether he’ll move into Rideau Cottage.
The freshly minted prime minister is currently wrapping up his globe-trotting tour of Paris, London and Canada’s far north.
But where, exactly, will Mark Carney toss his bags when he returns back to Ottawa in the lead-up to making the pivotal decision on when to call the next federal election?
Ever since returning from his stint as governor of the Bank of England in 2020, Carney has lived in his Rockcliffe Park home with his family.
Now that he’s officially running the country, though, the question begs about where his temporary digs will be.
Outgoing prime minister Justin Trudeau has been living at Rideau Cottage since being elected in 2015, opting not to move into the official residence at 24 Sussex due to the extensive repairs that are required. Every other prime minister from Louis St. Laurent in 1951 to Stephen Harper in 2015 had lived at 24 Sussex while in office.
So far, the Prime Minister’s Office has deflected away questions about where Carney will put up his feet when he settles in to watch a hockey game or catch up on a Netlfix series after a long day of official business.
“Prime Minister Carney is focused on taking action to unite Canadians, defend Canada’s sovereignty in the face of unjustified trade actions by the United States and build the strongest economy in the G7,” the PMO said in response to questions from the Ottawa Citizen on the topic.
“Decisions regarding the residence of Prime Minister Carney will be made in due course.”
Security is a significant issue, of course.
Can a sitting prime minister live on a residential street — albeit, an upscale one — saying good morning to the neighbours while taking the garbage out to the curb in his pyjamas?
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At the same time, though, any move now could be a short-term one.
Whenever Carney chooses to make the election call — there’s considerable speculation about the potential for an April 28 or May 5 date — he’ll make the decision recognizing that his stint as the prime minister could be the shortest ever. The current record of 69 days is held by Sir Charles Tupper, who ran the country from May 1 to July 8, 1896.
Whether Carney’s Liberals or Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives end up winning the election, eventually a decision has to be made about Canada having a proper residence for its prime minister.
Rideau Cottage, a 22-room facility on the grounds of Rideau Hall, is a stop-gap solution.
Typically, the Cottage, which was built in 1867, was used by the governor general’s secretaries and visitors. It’s too small to be used for official prime minister functions and has numerous security question marks. Trudeau has also stayed at the Harrington Lake summer home in Chelsea.
For years, though, the prospect of the prime minister returning to 24 Sussex has become a political hot potato; a no-win situation that few government officials want to touch.
Spend millions upon millions of dollars on upgrades and critics will charge that it’s money poorly spent on a lavish lifestyle while much of the country struggles just to pay bills. Demolish the house, however, and the history buffs will cry out about losing touch with the past.
A 2021 report by the National Capital Commission (NCC), which operates 24 Sussex, suggested it would cost $37 million to upgrade the facility to appropriate standards.
The building had been in decline for decades before the 2015 election. The faulty electrical system was a fire hazard. It was home to both asbestos and rodents. The pool and sauna area were full of mould.
Its proximity to the road also made it a security risk and without steel plates on the roof, the house is vulnerable to a drone attack.
The main residence is just 12,000 square feet, without an appropriate reception area. For comparison’s sake, the White House is 56,000 square feet and the official residence in and around 10 Downing Street in London for the British prime minister is 71,400 square feet.
In 2022, the NCC officially closed 24 Sussex for safety reasons. It has since been gutted, removing the faulty wiring, asbestos, and presumably, the rats, leaving an empty shell.
There has been some appetite to renovate, including an effort by Harper and former Liberal prime minister Jean Chrétien to cross party lines and join forces in a private fundraising effort.
Another camp, however, believes it would be more economical to build an entirely new official prime minister’s residence. Rockcliffe Park is one suggested location.
Interestingly, one of Trudeau’s last acts before resigning was to send a letter to his procurement minister, Jean-Yves Duclos, asking for a proposal to explore a new locale to be drafted by next January.
Trudeau suggested that the Clerk of the Privy Council head up that group, with Public Safety Minister David McGuinty, the current MP for Ottawa South, also involved.
In addition, Trudeau said the plan could also transfer maintenance responsibilities of the official residence to Public Services and Procument Canada, instead of the NCC.
That’s a topic for tomorrow, though.
As for today, where will Canada’s 24th prime minister choose to call home while he’s running the country during what promises to be a compelling election campaign?
X: Citizenkwarren
