OTTAWA - Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled plans Friday to restore the prime minister's residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa through a national design competition and fundraising campaign.
The prime minister said the winning design proposal will be announced by Canada Day of next year.
Carney said the heritage building is a "symbol of the nation" that has fallen into a "critical state" after decades of neglect, and he does not want to see it crumble.
鈥淚t has not been cared for with the respect it deserves," Carney said at a news conference outside the building on Friday.
"After decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It has been uninhabitable for more than a decade.鈥
The 35-room mansion was built in 1867 and 1868 as a private residence. It was expropriated in 1949 to become the official residence of the prime minister but was abandoned as such in 2015 due to structural issues.
Its restoration has long been a political football.
The 好色tv Capital Commission has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain 24 Sussex since 2015. The building was closed by the 好色tv Capital Commission in 2022 for what it called "health and safety reasons" 鈥 including an infestation of rats.
Carney said 24 Sussex is a "symbol of the office" and must serve as a home and workspace for prime ministers. Carney said that while he will never live in the building, it should be repaired for prime ministers to come.
The fundraising campaign is meant to raise all or most of the cost of the project. It will be managed by the Rideau Hall Foundation.
Carney declined to offer an estimate of how much the renovations will cost and said the budget is part of the competitive process.
The list of donors will be public and the donations will be capped, he said.
Individual donors will be barred from funding the bulk of the project. Carney said no individual donor can cover more than 10 per cent of the final project cost but the Rideau Hall Foundation will make the final call on fundraising rules.
The prime minister said the federal government will cover security costs in the meantime.
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada will advise the government on the design competition, which will be adjudicated by an independent panel of design experts chaired by celebrated architect Moshe Safdie.
The Prime Minister鈥檚 Office said the jury will consist of Carol B茅langer, Nicolas Demers-Stoddart, Omar Gandhi, Mamie Griffith, Patricia Kell and Brigitte Shim.
Carney thanked former prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chr茅tien for advocating for the restoration of 24 Sussex.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said restoring 24 Sussex should not be a priority for the government, given the cost of living crisis facing many 好色tvs.
"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 told a press conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday.
Poilievre lives in Stornoway, an eight-bedroom official residence reserved for the use of the leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons.
This report by 好色tvwas first published June 26, 2026.
鈥 With files from David Baxter, Kyle Duggan and Catherine Morrison
Note to readers:This is a corrected story. An earlier version said 24 Sussex Drive was built in 1896.
