OTTAWA — It may be the most Canadian GoFundMe in history. To limit costs to taxpayers, the Rideau Hall Foundation will lead a national fundraising campaign to cover all or most of the cost of restoring 24 Sussex Drive, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday.Carney also announced the federal government will launch a national design-and-build competition to restore and modernize the long-neglected official residence, saying it should once again serve as the home of Canada’s prime minister.“24 Sussex Drive is more than a residence, greater than a mere backdrop to history. It is a symbol of the public office of the head of our federal government, and of the democratic traditions that office represents,” Carney said outside the residence.“Yet, it has not been cared for with the respect it deserves. And after decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It has been uninhabitable for more than a decade.”The competition will be open to Canadian firms, with the winning proposal announced on Canada Day 2027.“We are calling for proposals that are ambitious, achievable, and cost effective,” Carney said, adding the property is in “critical condition.”He said the goal is for 24 Sussex to “become, once again, a secure, accessible, and sustainable official residence and a working venue for Canada’s future prime ministers.”.Carney said he would never personally live in the restored residence because he currently resides at Rideau Cottage.“I will never, in any event, live in 24 Sussex Drive, but future prime ministers would undoubtedly need to raise their children here as they lead our country,” he said. “So, we’ll restore it so they may do so safely and securely.”“24 Sussex Drive will be built by Canadians for Canadians,” Carney said.The prime minister declined to estimate the project’s cost, saying the competition itself would help determine the final budget.“I don’t want to be forward on what the budget is for this, because, in many respects, that’s part of the competition,” he said.Built in 1867, 24 Sussex has been home to 10 prime ministers. The National Capital Commission closed the property in 2022. No prime minister has lived there since Stephen Harper left office in 2015, with Justin Trudeau and now Carney instead residing at Rideau Cottage.
