Those beautiful gifts to PM end up in a warehouse
Deep in an NCC warehouse rests a humidor neatly filled with cigars, a gift from Raul Castro to Justin Trudeau.
Also in the warehouse are two gold Seiko watches, a Bedouin saddle and a carved Mexican owl. This is where a lot of gifts to Justin Trudeau go.
Others, however, go on display, often in official residences such as 24 Sussex Drive and Rideau Hall, particularly if they contain Canadian artwork.
Recently someone whose identify is protected under privacy laws did an access to information request asking the National Capital Commission what became of some recent gifts to Trudeau.
The answer sheds light on how many ceremonial gifts are turned over to the Crown Collection, a group of some 4,000 art pieces overseen by the National Capital Commission. Under conflict of interest rules, a prime minister must not keep gifts worth more than $1,000, so these go to the collection.
In 2016 Vancouver artist Norah Borden presented Trudeau with an acrylic painting called Glacier, one of a series of her paintings called Planet Earth. Borden was hoping for a spot in Canada House.
The documents, however, indicate that it spent some time at 24 Sussex Drive and has since joined a the Crown Collection, to appear in official residences.
Borden was thrilled to hear the news this week. “I had a terrible fear that it was still in the crate,” she wrote. “I hope eventually it gets rotated back to 24 Sussex after the renovations. That would be exciting!”
Raul Castro’s little wooden humidor filled with Cohiba Esplendido cigars is assessed at $3,000. The gift stayed at 24 Sussex for a while but was later sent to the NCC warehouse. The official file photo shows the cigars still present.
The King of Jordan gave a pen with a gold nib ($5,500, designed by Princes Wijdan F. Al-Hashemi) and a Bedouin saddle ($6,000 to $8,000). These are in the warehouse.
Mexico presented the PM with a pair of pants by Alejandro Carlin. They have a wide cuff. Carlin’s tag is still attached, so it doesn’t appear anyone has worn them yet. The pants are in the warehouse.
The 2017 Mexican trip also brought a carved wooden owl worth $3,000, and a silver coin with an Aztec design worth $2,300. More for the warehouse.
A couple of artists gave Trudeau portraits of himself. One by Nguyen Viet Tien, a professor in Hanoi, is valued at $1,500; the other by Toronto artist Jude Ifesieh is valued at $3,000. Both are listed in the warehouse.
In Beijing, Trudeau received a Huawei Mate 10 Pro smart phone in a gift box. It’s worth $1,300, but if it remains in the warehouse its value should fall below the $1,000 limit on which gifts the PM can keep.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gave the Trudeaus his and hers gold Seiko watches, at $5,800 and $5,600 respectively. Warehouse again.
But there’s a lot of Canadian material that does go on display in one official setting or another.
Hebert Reece, a Tsimshian wood carver, created a wooden raven mask later given to Trudeau by the City of Surrey, valued at $2,000. The Tsuut’ina Nation gave him a beaded leather jacket around the same time along with a second gift, a headdress of golden eagle feathers.
All these had ownership transferred to the NCC’s Crown Collection, as with Norah Borden’s Glacier, but they are out on long-term loan to the Prime Minister’s Office.