EDITORIAL: Spare a dime for the PM’s new home?

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The ongoing drama over what to do about 24 Sussex Drive, the now-decrepit official residence of our prime minister, will not be resolved by Prime Minister Mark Carney's convoluted solution.

He's proposed an architectural competition and a new charitable entity, The Rideau Hall Foundation, to implement a $50-million fundraising effort targeting individual and philanthropic giving. Corporate donations will not be allowed.

This takes decision-making out of the hands of politicians who don't want to be seen as making multi-million-dollar decisions that might be construed as feathering their nests. It's also a lack of leadership.

The blame for the parlous state of 24 Sussex rests squarely on the shoulders of the National Capital Commission (NCC), the Crown corporation that owns and manages it along with other federal property in the capital. It was supposed to be an arm's-length way to maintain government infrastructure.

This is the same NCC that was so busy renaming Sir John A. Macdonald Parkway in 2023 that it completely overlooked the fact that the prime minister's official residence was a rodent-infested firetrap. First things first, though. In a heartbeat, the parkway became Kichi Zibi Mikan. It's all about priorities.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is misguided when he says fixing the house is a low priority.

"When I see homelessness on our streets and I see young people who are desperate to start families, but can't get a house to do it, I just think the last thing on our minds should be 24 Sussex," Poilievre told reporters.

That's wrong-headed. Competent governments can walk and chew gum at the same time. You can work on affordability for families while also rebuilding the national embarrassment that is the prime minister's official residence.

Poilievre walked into a rat trap of his own making. He's living in tax-funded Stornoway and there are reports that the house needs expensive upgrades. Does he feel the same way about fixing it? It's a double standard for him to live in his mansion while questioning the prime minister's right to similar accommodation.

Carney's plan is a cop-out. It again shifts responsibility to yet another unaccountable third party. It's time-consuming and convoluted, with no one clearly in charge.

A better plan would be to take responsibility away from the NCC, pick a plan and just build.