Fix the PM’s residence

The prime minister of Canada, regardless of political affiliation, should not live in a dingy fixer-upper. The official residence of the country’s leader should be a place of dignity, good taste and comfort, not a ratty dump with worn carpets, bad plumbing, a leaking roof and a dodgy electrical system.

Because 24 Sussex Drive is in such poor condition, prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and his family will move into Rideau Cottage, a house on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence, until the prime minister’s residence is renovated.

In 2008, the National Capital Commission said the building was in poor shape and needed about $10 million worth of repairs, which would take 12 to 15 months. An auditor general’s report that year said putting off the rehabilitation of the residence could have consequences, including “the risk of fostering a negative image of Canada with visiting foreign dignitaries.”

“The most recent work of an extensive nature carried out at 24 Sussex Drive dates back to when it was purchased by the government, over 50 years ago,” the report said. “It is therefore not surprising to note that a number of the residence’s systems are reaching the end of their useful lives, are in poor condition, and will have to be replaced in the near future.”

So get on with it. Delaying renovations will only accelerate the deterioration of the building and make repairs more expensive.

And while the builders are at it, they could retrofit the residence to be a model of energy efficiency, as suggested by the Sierra Club of Canada.

While it’s embarrassing that the new prime minister and his family have to bunk with the Governor General, there’s more to it than that.

As former prime minister Jean Chrétien puts it: “It is not for him [Trudeau], it is for the state, and when you receive people there, it will look better. It’s not very nice when you look like a bunch of cheap guys.”