MOST heads of government have an official residence. It is normally an uncontroversial perk. Not so in Canada. Since 1951 the country’s prime ministers have lived in 24 Sussex, a 34-room limestone mansion in Ottawa. Justin Trudeau, the current prime minister, did as a child, when his father, Pierre Trudeau, had the job. But he has taken up residence at Rideau Cottage on the neighbouring estate of the governor-general, the queen’s representative in Canada. The problem is that 24 Sussex is too run-down to house Mr Trudeau, his wife and three children. And he does not want to take the political heat for approving repairs.
No one doubts that the 150-year-old house, built by a lumber baron, needs work. Ceilings and walls are impregnated with asbestos, a mineral so carcinogenic that Canada will ban its export next month. Some of the paint is lead-based. The place is infested with mice, which may be why Mr Trudeau’s predecessor, Stephen Harper, liked cats. The auditor-general warned a decade ago that the plumbing was clapped out, the 50-year-old...Continue reading
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