The official residence of Canada’s prime minister has been Ottawa’s 24 Sussex Drive since 1951.  The last prime minister to live there was Stephen Harper in 2015.  Since then, Justin Trudeau and his family have resided in Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the official Canadian residence of King George and his representative, the Governor General.  Very little money has been spent on the upkeep of 24 Sussex since 2001 and the house is worn and outdated requiring millions to bring it to a state of good repair.   No government in the past two decades has had the courage to spend the money necessary for fear of backlash from taxpayers and opposition politicians.  Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre says if he was prime minister, fixing or replacing 24 Sussex would be the last item on his agenda, which makes one wonder where he and his family would choose to live.  The Poilievres live in Stornoway, coincidentally a taxpayer-funded residence for the leader of the official opposition.  Stornoway is a 19-room mansion and has a staff of three, a chef, a chauffeur, and a household administrator, so M. Poilievre perhaps would choose to keep living there and find a different house for whomever was opposition leader.  I can’t see where other parliamentary democracies like Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand for example, have residences paid for by taxpayers for their opposition leaders.  What did my dad used to say, jokingly, “If I was King”?   Well, if I was, I would either fix or replace 24 Sussex Drive so that the prime minister of Canada has an official residence.   We spend many millions on many things less worthy. 

That’s Coffeetalk.  I’m Vic Dubois.