Latest news with #CanadianPrimeMinister
National Post
a day ago
- Politics
- National Post
Carney says he has no plans to tackle 24 Sussex question during his mandate
Almost a decade after 24 Sussex Drive was abandoned as the official residence of the Canadian prime minister, taxpayers are still shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year to maintain the vacant property, and the new prime minister has signalled he's in no rush to deal with the crumbling building. Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in May that it's up to the National Capital Commission to decide what to do with 24 Sussex. Article content Article content Article content 'It's not a challenge for today, this month, this year and it's probably a challenge for this mandate,' Carney said in French, adding that multiple ideas on how to renew 24 Sussex have been put forward by former prime ministers. Article content Article content The home is a 35-room mansion that was built in 1896, and served as the prime minister's official residence starting in 1951. It has been a federal heritage site since 1986. Article content But former prime minister Stephen Harper was the last leader to live at 24 Sussex. When Justin Trudeau took over as prime minister in November 2015, he and his family instead moved into Rideau Cottage, a home on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Carney and his family now also live at Rideau Cottage. While the grounds of 24 Sussex were used during Trudeau's tenure for some social events, it was closed by the National Capital Commission in 2022 for 'health and safety reasons.' Article content Those included an infestation of rats that was so severe they found rodent carcasses and excrement in the home's walls, attic and basement. Article content Article content The commission has since spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on maintaining the building. Article content Article content A document detailing expenses for 24 Sussex, obtained via information access law, shows that upkeep of the building cost taxpayers more than $680,000 between January 2018 and June 2023. Article content Those costs included elevator maintenance, janitorial services, boiler maintenance, the removal of a bees' nest, pest control, roof repair and pool cleaning. Article content NCC spokesperson Valerie Dufour said the organization is unable to provide any up-to-date information on operations and maintenance costs for the building. She confirmed the NCC continues to pay to maintain the building.
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
PM Carney says he has no plans to tackle 24 Sussex question during his mandate
The Canadian prime ministers' residence, 24 Sussex, is seen on the banks of the Ottawa River in Ottawa on Monday, Oct. 26, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick OTTAWA — Almost a decade after 24 Sussex Drive was abandoned as the official residence of the Canadian prime minister, taxpayers are still shelling out tens of thousands of dollars a year to maintain the vacant property, and the new prime minister has signalled he's in no rush to deal with the crumbling building. Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in May that it's up to the National Capital Commission to decide what to do with 24 Sussex. 'It's not a challenge for today, this month, this year and it's probably a challenge for this mandate,' Carney said in French, adding that multiple ideas on how to renew 24 Sussex have been put forward by former prime ministers. The home is a 35-room mansion that was built in 1896, and served as the prime minister's official residence starting in 1951. It has been a federal heritage site since 1986. But former prime minister Stephen Harper was the last leader to live at 24 Sussex. When Justin Trudeau took over as prime minister in November 2015, he and his family instead moved into Rideau Cottage, a home on the grounds of Rideau Hall. Carney and his family now also live at Rideau Cottage. While the grounds of 24 Sussex were used during Trudeau's tenure for some social events, it was closed by the National Capital Commission in 2022 for 'health and safety reasons.' Those included an infestation of rats that was so severe they found rodent carcasses and excrement in the home's walls, attic and basement. The commission has since spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on maintaining the building. A document detailing expenses for 24 Sussex, obtained via information access law, shows that upkeep of the building cost taxpayers more than $680,000 between January 2018 and June 2023. Those costs included elevator maintenance, janitorial services, boiler maintenance, the removal of a bees' nest, pest control, roof repair and pool cleaning. In 2022, the NCC spent just over $76,000 to repair a stone wall and steel fence after a tourist bus crashed into the gates of 24 Sussex. NCC spokesperson Valérie Dufour said the organization is unable to provide any up-to-date information on operations and maintenance costs for the building. She confirmed the NCC continues to pay to maintain the building. A separate document from 2023, obtained via an access to information request, shows the Trudeau government looked at three main options for the official residence. The first option would be to establish Rideau Cottage as the prime minister's permanent residence by investing in additional residential infrastructure, such as laundry and staff offices. The second option would be to build a new 'modern facility' at 24 Sussex with 'limited heritage elements,' which would accommodate both residential and official functions. The third option would be to build an entirely new residence on NCC-owned land elsewhere in Ottawa. Dufour said the commission presented options on the future of the official residence to the government and is awaiting a decision. In a letter addressed to then-procurement minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Trudeau asked for a proposal on new options for the official residence to be drafted by January 2026. Trudeau said the proposal should include a plan to transfer all responsibility for the official residence, except for general maintenance, from the National Capital Commission to Public Services and Procurement Canada. Andrew MacDougall, who was director of communications to former prime minister Stephen Harper, said that while Carney is right to focus on more important files, Canada still needs to maintain 'symbols' of its nationhood — including 24 Sussex. 'Imagine a U.S. president leaving the White House in a dilapidated state. They would never,' he said. 'And so why do we tolerate it?' MacDougall argued that Carney is already 'opening the taps and spending like there's no tomorrow' and he might as well take on a problem that too many prime ministers have ignored. Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, said the real problem is that the National Capital Commission is 'too good at wasting our money but bad at managing properties.' 'With debt interest charges blowing a $1 billion hole in the budget every week, Prime Minister Mark Carney must make it a priority to hold the NCC accountable to stop wasting so much money,' he said. 'Canadians also shouldn't be paying for an official residence for any opposition leader or Speaker, and the prime minister doesn't need multiple residences.' Katherine Spencer-Ross, president of Heritage Ottawa, said Carney's reluctance to tackle 24 Sussex is 'hardly surprising' given the amount of work on his plate. 'I'm not holding my breath,' she said. 'I think he's got another fish to fry.' Spencer-Ross said that while prime ministers have been afraid to do anything about 24 Sussex because of the political optics, the prime minister of the day is still the 'steward' of the building. 'It is not their home. It is not their party's home. It belongs to the people of Canada,' she said. Spencer-Ross said Heritage Ottawa wrote to Trudeau in 2018 to suggest setting up an external advisory committee to look at options for the residence. She said nothing happened with that idea until Trudeau included it in his letter to Duclos. She said her organization believes the building should be maintained, renewed and kept in public hands, even if it's no longer the official residence. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Stop worrying, America. Just keep watching The Trump Show
A version of this story appeared in CNN Business' Nightcap newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. On Tuesday's episode of the Donald Trump reality TV show, the president of the United States teased 'a very, very big announcement… like, as big as it gets' in the coming days. 'I won't tell you on what, but it's… very positive,' he told reporters in the Oval Office. 'It'll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, a very important subject.' He initially hinted that it may be a trade deal, but also said it may not be a trade deal. Later, speaking at a Milken Institute event, Trump said, 'It's not about trade…it's going to be a truly earth-shattering and positive development for this country.' So, not a trade deal. But it's big. And it's coming soon. This Thursday or Friday. Or Monday, Trump said. It was hard not to laugh as Trump, hosting the newly elected and exceptionally even-keeled Canadian prime minister, reverted to his network TV roots with the presidential equivalent of a tease before the commercial break: Stay tuned, America — what happens next will blow your mind! This is all part of the show Trump and his advisers have been putting on over the past month. Trust us, deals are coming. Trust us, this economic pain is for your own good. Trust us, your kids don't need as many toys as you think they do. Trust us (a bunch of ex-bankers and one bankrupt casino mogul), Wall Street's opinion doesn't matter. Trust. Us. That's becoming a harder sell by the day. The White House has produced a total of *checks notes* zero trade deals, or even concepts of a trade deal, in the month since Trump's tariff regime has been in place. Trump also appears to have lied about receiving a call from Xi Jinping, China's president, about trade negotiations — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said under oath Tuesday that no such talks had begun. (Update: As of Tuesday evening, officials said Bessent and the US trade representative would meet with their Chinese counterparts during a trip to Switzerland this week.) And out of nowhere, Trump announced a vague plan for 100% tariffs on movies produced overseas — potentially opening a new front in his trade war that had, up until now, been limited to the exchange of goods, not services. It's no surprise, then, that business leaders aren't super trusting right now. While Trump and Co. wait for the world to bend the knee, the rest of the world has to do business blindfolded. Many US importers have simply canceled shipments from China rather than pay the 145% tariffs that Trump is imposing on most Chinese imports. Cargo coming into the port of Los Angeles from China has fallen by half, which means shoppers can expect shortages on certain items and higher prices in just a matter of weeks. That means it's likely just a matter of weeks before consumers will face higher prices and shortages of certain items. As the days drag on, with no major trade deals to alleviate the impact of tariffs, it's worth questioning whether the dealmaker-in-chief actually wanted trade deals or just the spectacle of playing hardball with powerful heads of state and titans of industry. During his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, Trump said he could sign a couple dozen deals at any time and wished everyone would just chill with all the deal talk. 'I wish they'd… you know, stop asking, 'How many deals are you signing this week?' Because one day we'll come and we'll give you 100 deals.' He's saying, in other words: You know this business thing I told you I was the best at — this thing I supposedly wrote a book about? Yeah, don't worry about that. The deals will come, or they won't, and it will be everyone else's fault if they don't come together. In another telling moment, a reporter asked whether there was anything the Canadian leader could say on Tuesday that would persuade Trump to reduce tariffs on Canadian goods. 'No,' Trump said. 'Why not?' the reporter asked. 'Just the way it is.' Of course, it's not just the way it is — it is a choice Trump made, premised on a false belief that the US has been the victim of Canada's exploitative trade practices. (Yes, Canada! The world's nicest neighbors.) The reality is that the US and Canada have had a mutually beneficial trade relationship for decades. The reality is that our trade deficit with Canada is relatively tiny. The reality is that the US auto industry Trump claims to support depends deeply on free cross-border trade with Canada and Mexico. That's the same reality in which the US economy is contracting and America's credibility as the cornerstone of global finance is being shaken. It is not the same reality as the TV show variety Trump seems to live in. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Trump reveals Houthis have 'capitulated' and he will end U.S. strikes on them immediately
President Donald Trump announced that he has called off airstrikes on Yemen after hearing word from the Houthis that they would no longer attack ships. 'They don't want to fight anymore. They just don't want to fight. And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings,' he said in the Oval Office during a meeting with the Canadian prime minister. 'They have capitulated,' Trump said of the rebel group. He said he believed them when they said they'd no longer blow up ships in the Red Sea. 'They will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that's what the purpose of what we were doing. So that's just news. We just found out about that. So I think that's very, very positive they were. They were not a lot of ships going, as you know, sailing beautifully down the various seas,' he said.
