March 20, 2018
Twenty-four Sussex Drive is the official residence of Canada’s prime minister. It is also a rundown, drafty barn. Eleven prime ministers refused to maintain the place. It is a barely standing testament to the fact that prime ministers will allow something we own to crumble and fall apart around them in order to make themselves look good.
It took Justin Trudeau to come along and say, “Okay, the place is filled with mould and lead—I’m not raising my children there.” Typical Liberal. When Stephen Harper lived there he claimed his daily mould and lead intake made him stronger.
Now we find out there’s more asbestos in that pile than anticipated. Way more. It was supposed to cost ten million to renovate. Now it might cost thirty million. Then there are the problems no amount of money could possibly fix. From a security point of view, the place is a disaster. The front door of the residence is literally a stone’s throw away from a public street. A drunk on the sidewalk could hit a visiting dignitary in the head with a can of soup. That’s no good.
When the decision was made to make it the official residence, it was a friendlier, nicer time. Back then the biggest nightmare the RCMP had was that someone would put a flaming bag of poo on the front step, ring the doorbell and run away. A prank that both John Diefenbaker and Lester B. Pearson fell for many times. My, how the children laughed.
Times have changed, and so must we. It’s time to tear the place down, build a brand-new, secure structure. The coolest, greenest, funkiest residence we can. It’s our house. We’re a grown-up country. We can have nice things.