Justin Trudeau’s mother revealed Friday that her son and his family won’t likely move into 24 Sussex Dr. anytime soon.
Margaret Trudeau told a radio station the family won’t be living in the official prime minister’s residence, which, “has been in need, since I was there 40 years ago, of major infrastructure repair.”
Trudeau wouldn’t confirm Friday that he plans to live elsewhere, but the prime minister-designate did remark in 2012 that his “old home” was “slowly crumbling.”
Past prime ministers Brian Mulroney and Paul Martin have also expressed concerns about the building’s state, and late NDP Leader Jack Layton once said the place could use a “caulking gun and some solar panels.”
In 2008, Auditor General Shelia Fraser wrote that repairs had become “urgent,” citing “toxic” asbestos and the risk of “fostering a negative image of Canada.”
Prime Minister Stephen Harper, however, did not want to move out for an estimated one year so that the $10-million fixes could finally be made to the 34-room, 10,000 square-foot (929 square-metre) mansion.
Neither Liberal campaign spokesperson Kate Purchase or the National Capital Commission would say whether the Trudeaus will be living elsewhere.
One alternative home is at Harrington Lake, the official summer residence of the prime minister, located a 30-minute drive outside Ottawa.
With a report from CTV’s Omar Sachedina
