Laurier House Act

An Act respecting Laurier House Preamble WHEREAS, pursuant to the Will of the late the Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, P.C., O.M., there has been vested in His Majesty in right of Canada certain property in the City of Ottawa known as Laurier House and the contents thereof; AND WHEREAS the late Mr. King, by his Will, gave the sum of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to the Government of Canada to be used for certain specified purposes; AND WHEREAS it is advisable to make provision for the administration of that property and money in accordance with the terms of the Will; NOW, THEREFORE, His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: Short title This Act may be cited as the Laurier House Act. Agency to control Laurier House Subject to subsection (2), the Parks Canada Agency established under the Parks Canada Agency Act (in this Act referred to as the “Agency”) has the care, custody and control of Laurier House (described in the First Schedule) and its contents and shall administer the House and its contents in accordance with the desires and purposes expressed in the late Mr. King’s Will (the relevant portion of which is set out in the Second Schedule). Heating and repair The Minister of Public Works and Government Services shall maintain, heat and keep in repair the buildings on the Laurier House property and the Federal District Commission shall maintain the grounds thereof. [Repealed, 1998, c. 31, s. 52] C.R.F. The sum of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars given by the Will to the Government of Canada shall be deposited to the credit of the Receiver General of Canada and shall form part of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. Trust Account There shall be set up in the Consolidated Revenue Fund an account to be known as the Mackenzie King Trust Account to which there shall be credited the sum of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Interest Interest on the sum of two hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars shall be credited to the Mackenzie King Trust Account at the end of each fiscal year in the case of the fiscal year during which the said sum was deposited to the credit of the Receiver General of Canada, for the period in the year after the day on which the deposit was made, and in the case of each subsequent fiscal year, for the whole year, computed at a rate that, in the opinion of the Minister of Finance, is equal to the average rate at which interest is payable on long term Government of Canada bonds for that year. Expenditures Subject to the approval of the Governor in Council, the Agency may, at any time, expend out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, for the purpose of carrying out the desires and purposes expressed in the Will, an amount not exceeding the aggregate of the amounts theretofore credited to the Mackenzie King Trust Account as interest less the aggregate of all amounts theretofore expended under this subsection, and any amount so expended shall be debited to the Account. Historic Sites and Monuments Board The Chief Executive Officer of the Agency may consult the Historic Sites and Monuments Board with reference to the performance of the duties of the Agency under this Act. Governor in Council may give directions Notwithstanding any other provision in this Act, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, the Federal District Commission and the Agency shall comply with any general or special direction of the Governor in Council as to the manner in which Laurier House shall be administered or as to the manner in which the desires or purposes expressed in the Will shall be realized. All and Singular that certain parcel or tract of land and premises situate, lying and being in the City of Ottawa, in the County of Carleton, and Province of Ontario, being composed of Lot number Thirty-one (31) and the west half of Lot number Thirty-two (32) on the north side of Theodore Street, now called Laurier Avenue, in the City of Ottawa, as shown on a plan made by James D. Slater, P.L.S. for Louis P. Besserer, and registered in the Registry Office for the City of Ottawa on the 17th day of June, 1859. For many years it has been my intention to bequeath Laurier House to the Government and people of Canada, in the belief that as the years pass, the citizens of Canada will take an increasing interest and pride in the preservation of a house occupied through many years by two of Canada’s Prime Ministers and reminiscent of an environment that was a part of their daily lives. It has been my hope that such a bequest might serve also to remind my fellow Canadians of the close association I enjoyed with Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, and what I owed to their personal friendship; also to emphasize the unity of heart and mind among the Canadian people which Sir Wilfrid and I, throughout our years of office, sought to preserve in the administration of Canada’s national affairs. The maintenance of the residence as a place of historic interest and contemporary record of days that are gone would also serve the interests of the Canadian people in other ways. The residence might appropriately, I think, be given an immediate association with the Public Archives of Canada. Responsibility for its continued preservation, supervision and use might be placed upon the Dominion Archivist. Accommodation for scholars engaged on work of research in Ottawa is, at present, most inadequate both at the Archives and at the Library of Parliament. In the years of my occupancy of Laurier House, I have done most of my work in the library and adjoining rooms on the top floor. I should particularly welcome the continued use of this portion of the house for purposes of study and research. A direct association with the Archives would not only serve to emphasize the historic significance of the residence, but would help to ensure the interior being maintained much as it is, and would lead naturally to a more appropriate display of important documents and other objects of special interest. I should hope that the dining room and its furnishings, paintings, etc., would be retained much as they are. I therefore give, devise and bequeath to the Government of Canada in trust for the people of Canada the house situated at 335 Laurier Avenue East in the City of Ottawa, and all the contents of the said house except such papers, books, furnishings and other things for the disposal of which I have made provision otherwise in this my Will. I also give, devise and bequeath to the Government of Canada in trust for the people of Canada the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($225,000), the interest thereon to be used to assist in the maintenance and care of the said house. The said sum of Two Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($225,000), represents moneys which the Honourable Peter C. Larkin and other friends contributed, after the reconstruction and refurnishing of the residence was completed, to assist me in its upkeep throughout my life, and in meeting, to the end of my life, other personal and public needs, especially such needs as would arise in years of retirement.