Every prime minister since Pierre Trudeau has failed to rehabilitate the official residence. Carney has a chance to show us he's different

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Never mind Donald Trump. Never mind western separatism. Does Mark Carney have what it takes to confront the fiasco of 24 Sussex Drive?

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Of all the issues on his plate it may be the most ridiculous. The long-running saga of the official residence without a resident offers evidence that absurdity isn’t just a feature of Canada’s shared sense of humour, but a national characteristic that envelopes its inability to construct a respectable roof over the head of its senior elected official.

Not that it’s the fault of the populace. I doubt that Canadians are so gnarled and nasty they object to the very thought of an official residence. It’s the potential inhabitants of the ramshackle homestead who can’t bring themselves to make a simple decision on its fate and be done with it. It’s their fear of voters — which consists, in truth, of distrust — that prevents them from getting off the pot.

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Every prime minister since Pierre Trudeau has known something serious had to be done about the condition of the building at 24 Sussex Drive. Every one of them has recoiled in terror from doing so. Maybe it was Brian Mulroney’s experience within its walls that frightened them. Mulroney calculated he approved $211,000 on fixtures and........

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