Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that 24 Sussex Drive will be restored through a national design competition, with the winning proposal funded largely by private donations rather than taxpayers.
The announcement was made at a news conference outside the property itself, a heritage mansion that has sat vacant for more than a decade.
"It has not been cared for with the respect it deserves," Carney said. "After decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It has been uninhabitable for more than a decade."
What Carney is proposing for 24 Sussex Drive
The plan calls for a publicly announced design competition, overseen by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and adjudicated by an independent jury chaired by acclaimed architect Moshe Safdie. The jury also includes Carol Bélanger, Nicolas Demers-Stoddart, Omar Gandhi, Mamie Griffith, Patricia Kell, and Brigitte Shim.
A winning design is expected to be announced by Canada Day 2027.
The fundraising campaign will be managed by the Rideau Hall Foundation. Carney declined to put a price tag on the project, saying the budget will be part of the competitive process. Donations will be capped, the list of donors will be made public, and no single donor will be permitted to cover more than 10 per cent of the final cost. The Rideau Hall Foundation will have the final say on fundraising rules.
The federal government will cover security costs in the meantime.
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A building with a long history of neglect
The 35-room mansion was originally built in 1867 and 1868 as a private residence. The federal government expropriated it in 1949 to serve as the official home of the prime minister. It was effectively abandoned for that purpose in 2015 due to structural problems.
Since then, the National Capital Commission has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on basic upkeep. The building was closed outright in 2022 due to what the NCC called health and safety concerns, including a rat infestation.
Carney called the building a "symbol of the nation" and said it must be preserved as a home and workspace for future prime ministers, even though he will never live there himself.
He credited both former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien for pushing for the building's restoration over the years.
Poilievre pushes back on plan
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has been vocal in his opposition to prioritizing the project.
"When I see the homelessness in our streets and I see the young people who are desperate to start families but can't get a house to do it, I just think the last thing on our minds should be 24 Sussex Drive," Poilievre said at a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday.
Poilievre currently lives at Stornoway, the eight-bedroom official residence designated for the leader of the Opposition.
*With files from David Baxter, Kyle Duggan and Catherine Morrison / The Canadian Press
