Roundup: The full closure of 24 Sussex

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News that has been years overdue arrived yesterday that the National Capital Commission is finally—finally!—closing 24 Sussex to personnel, so that they can begin abatement of things like asbestos at the site, which they’d need to do even if they decide to tear it down at some point. But no, there hasn’t been an actual decision on its future, because of course there hasn’t been, but at least they have reached this step, seven years later. But who is still there if the prime minister and family have been at Rideau Cottage the whole time? Well, for one, the prime minister’s chef still operates out of 24 Sussex (and the food is transported over by staff), likely because the kitchen in Rideau Cottage is too small for both the chef and the family, based on what glimpses we got of it during the pandemic; one assumes likewise with any other household staff. They are being relocated to another NCC property, but they won’t say where.

When this news broke, my Twitter feed was full of people outraged that the leader of the opposition has a nicer house than the prime minister, and demanded that the PM take over Stornoway instead. The reason Stornoway is in better shape was because Preston Manning refused to move in when he was opposition leader, so the NCC took the opportunity to do needed renovations that 24 Sussex never had, and no, the prime minister is never going to take it over because the property is too vulnerable, and would be a security nightmare. Never going to happen. As for those who wonder why our opposition leader even has an official residence, I say that it’s because it reflects the importance of the position in a Westminster democracy like ours, and should have status appropriate to that importance. It doesn’t matter that other Westminster countries don’t also follow that—Canada chose to value its opposition leader in such a way, and it is important, so let’s treat it as such.

Ukraine Dispatch, Day 268:

There were more Russian missiles targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving some 10 million people without power as winter sets in, while fighting intensified in the east as Russia tries to secure its hold on Donetsk. In liberated villages near Kherson, there are survivors talking about beatings and torture by Russians, and more graves have been found with bodies bearing signs of being tortured.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau is in Bangkok, Thailand, for the APEC summit, where he is attempting to bolster ties to the region, particularly with trade.
  • Chinese official now say that Canada is “condescending” and that any improvements in relations are on us. Mary Ng insists Canada aims for respect in talks.
  • The federal transport minister is encouraging masks on planes and trains, but he won’t mandate them either, because of course not.
  • Steven Guilbeault says he’s against adding the complete phase-out of oil and gas in the COP27 agreement because it will cause too much pushback from provinces.
  • The Supplementary Estimates tabled in Parliament are calling for $3 billion to be set aside for upcoming settlement agreements with Indigenous people.
  • The bill that enacts the pre-broken kludge they’re calling dental care and rental supports has now received royal assent.
  • The Canadian commander of the NATO battle group in Latvia says that we would rout any attempt by Russia to invade, given their performance in Ukraine.
  • The military has banned its members from wearing uniforms while on trial in civilian courts after complaints it can create biases.
  • At the public inquiry, the deputy minister of finance worried about the effect on the broader economy, while the national security advisor contradicted Brenda Lucki.
  • The national security advisory thinks the threshold for what constitutes a national threat needs to be reconsidered; banks want more guidance on emergency powers.
  • Mary May Simon missed an Order of Canada investment ceremony at Rideau Hall due to illness, and Michaëlle Jean filled in for her.
  • Our ambassador to Ukraine says that only 24 percent of Ukrainians who have been granted visas to Canada have actually travelled here.
  • As he retires as premier, John Horgan is pitching himself as a possible mediator for federal-provincial health talks. (Considering how dismissive he was before, why?)
  • Here is a good exploration of the “Better World” argument people throw around to try to ban or delay MAiD, and why it only serves to prolong suffering.
  • Supriya Dwivedi points to how the inability of legacy media to properly cover the rise of the far right and its mis/disinformation damages democracy.
  • Heather Scoffield is impatient for the government to roll out the various strategies that they keep saying they are coming out with.
  • Paul Wells returns to Poilievre’s scrum in Vancouver, and calls bullshit on his assertions left, right and centre (and it’s a glorious thing).

Odds and ends:

For National Magazine, I look at the connection between last week’s Supreme Court of Canada decision on conditional sentences and the bill that just passed the Senate.

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