Canadian taxpayers have been footing a multimillion-dollar bill for renovations at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s residence, Rideau Cottage, over the past several years, newly released records reveal.
According to access-to-information documents obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), more than $5 million has been spent on renovations to Rideau Cottage between 2016-17 and 2023-24.
“While there were multimillion-dollar renos being done to Trudeau’s mansion, housing prices have doubled for most ordinary working Canadians,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director.
“Trudeau needs to explain why this cost taxpayers so much.”
In the last year alone, taxpayers covered $1.3 million in renovation costs for Rideau Cottage — an amount that could cover the annual grocery bills of 81 Canadian families, according to Canada’s Food Price Report.
On average, the government has spent $630,000 per year on upgrades to the two-storey, 22-room mansion since Trudeau took office in 2015.
Renovation projects have included improvements to the tennis court and “powder room,” extensive painting, RCMP security enhancements, new appliances, wall and roof repairs, paving and landscaping services, and tree stump removal.
Records also show taxpayers have been charged for 10 piano tunings at Rideau Cottage.
“Does the prime minister’s powder room have a gold toilet? How can these upgrades cost this much?” Sims said. “Taxpayers don’t expect Trudeau to sleep in a tent, but racking-up reno bills costing Canadians more than half a million dollars per year is excessive.”
The expenses at Rideau Cottage are not the only taxpayer-funded renovations linked to the prime minister’s residences.
In 2022, the CTF reported that the National Capital Commission (NCC), which manages Canada’s six official residences, was spending $11 million on renovations at Harrington Lake, Trudeau’s lakeside retreat.
That amount included $2.5 million for a new backup cottage on the property and more than $700,000 for a kitchen renovation. Between 2016-17 and 2019-20, the federal government also spent $6 million on additional work at Harrington Lake.
Meanwhile, $1 million was spent on renovations at 24 Sussex Drive during the same period, despite the residence sitting vacant since 2015.
Despite claims that Canada’s official residences suffer from “chronic underfunding,” the CTF previously reported that the NCC spent $135 million on renovations between 2006 and 2022.
“Canadians need to know why the NCC, a glorified parks and rec department that plants flowers in Ottawa, manages to blow millions and millions of dollars on these swanky buildings without much to show for it,” Sims said.
“Why are there now three official residences for our one prime minister, and why did taxpayers pay for an entirely new mansion up at Harrington Lake? Who is living in that new house and why did it cost so much?”