At the end of a G20 summit punctuated by difficult exchanges with the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, Justin Trudeau would certainly have preferred to leave New Delhi immediately. A mechanical breakdown in his old official plane, however, decided otherwise and the Canadian Prime Minister found himself stuck in India for two more days. While his counterparts returned to their own capitals to manage the affairs of their respective states, Justin Trudeau conducted his from a hotel room in the Indian capital.
Given the welcome his caucus was preparing to give him in London, Ontario, this delay may have turned out to be a blessing for him. Time for the discontent of some to be evacuated and somewhat calmed, behind closed microphones. But for the Prime Minister of Canada to suffer from repeated plane breakdowns is nothing short of downright embarrassing.
If this were just the first occasion, it would barely be mentioned. A second incident would raise some questions. However, the Airbus company fleet is not experiencing its third mechanical problem, but rather its fourth in eight years. While waiting to soon fly aboard a new plane, so many official missions have been diverted.
As early as 2016, the Canadian prime minister was forced to turn around on his way to Brussels to sign Canada’s free trade agreement with the European Union. Two years later, another problem forced a refueling stop (still necessary to this day, for this aircraft dating from the early 1990s) of almost three hours rather than 90 minutes, on the way to India, definitely. In 2019, the Airbus was parked following a collision with a wall, in the middle of the electoral campaign. A second plane transported Justin Trudeau to the NATO summit a few months later, before in turn breaking down in London, requiring the dispatch of a third plane.
Canada is not the only country to pay the costs of an aging fleet. However, in the eyes of the allies, there is a mixed Canadian record on the international scene. Generous aid to Ukraine. But insufficient military spending; the promise of a major redeployment of peacekeepers which never materialized (apart from the sending of 250 soldiers to Mali for two years); a feminist international aid policy whose scope is not measured; a hope of a seat on the United Nations Security Council shunned.
The takeoff of Canadian international policy promised by Justin Trudeau in 2015 seems rather grounded.
Another dilapidated Canadian building: the official residence of federal prime ministers, at 24 Sussex Drive, in Ottawa.
The home was taken “out of service” last year, with walls overflowing with asbestos, mold and rodent carcasses, electrical systems posing a fire risk and plumbing failing. Various scenarios are being studied: renovating, rebuilding, or relocating the residence which has not had the right to a youth treatment for more than 50 years. But the government, grappling today with a housing crisis much more severe than the one faced by Justin Trudeau, has been procrastinating for years.
The real estate stinginess of politicians is not new. Louis Saint-Laurent, the very first resident of 24 Sussex, moved there reluctantly, demanding in return to pay rent. According to aspiring Prime Minister Pierre Poilievre (who lives in another luxurious official residence, Stornoway), the fate of 24 Sussex is not about to be resolved. If he is elected Prime Minister, this would be “the last” of his priorities.
Is there really such shame in providing our leaders with an official residence, rather than making them homeless prime ministers?
The Price building has welcomed those from Quebec for 20 years. France has planned 100 million euros to renovate the Élysée as well as two other presidential buildings. Australia spent nearly 8 million Canadian dollars to renovate its residence The Lodge ten years ago. This is roughly the assessment of the work bill presented by the Auditor General of Canada 15 years ago (9.7 million).
This excess of parsimony in recent decades reflects a very sad indifference to collective heritage. Is it any wonder that other century-old houses have been casually razed elsewhere?
Above all, this political smut will only have been counterproductive. Refurbishing 24 Sussex would now cost at least $37 million. Its destruction and the construction of a new home, prepared against the security threats of our time, would also involve tens of millions.
While waiting for him to finally make a decision, the Prime Minister of Canada is still hanging out with the representative of King Charles III. Speaking of embarrassing symbols.