If you wish to enjoy reading this, you probably need to accept the following propositions:

• That the Prime Minister of Canada should live in a residence suitable to his or her position as Prime Minister: i.e., Leader of the Government, its First Minister. The residence need not be a palace but should be a worthy and noble building comfortable to live in and suitable for the entertaining expected of the position.

For political leaders, the fate of 24 Sussex is the political equivalent of a dumpster fire or a septic tank eruption.  Political leaders fear the negative reaction of the public to creating a residence for themselves.  I would have hoped we were not so miserly and mean-spirited, but the people’s voice should be respected here.

So how do we get around this?  I propose that every elected Member of Parliament swear a public oath that they will never live at the restored or rebuilt 24 Sussex.  Anyone who is elected as an MP after that vote could live in 24 Sussex if he or she became PM. So no one now elected would have a personal interest.

With that done, the recommendation on what should be done with the Prime Minister’s residence should come from an arms-length panel.  I would recommend that Canadian architects and designers who have been admitted to the Order of Canada be invited serve on that panel.  I would also suggest that panel include former Prime Ministers and former Leaders of the Opposition, as they are familiar with the demands of official residences.

Repair or replace?  Personally, I favour replace.  The existing building has little apparent historical significance.  A new building could inspire today’s equivalents of Cardinal and Sadfie: to create a family home which would last ideally for centuries and would become a symbol of the Prime Ministerial Office.  But I would prefer to leave this to an expert panel.

If we are agreed that Canada’s Prime Minister deserves a suitable official residence, and further agreed that the process can be done without partisanship or seeming to feather one’s own nest, then let’s get on with it.