Thank you. Thank you, dearest Joël, Minister Lightbound. Good morning, everyone. Hello, everyone. Just last month, I had the privilege of announcing His Majesty’s approval of Canada’s new governor general, Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Louise Arbour. And I ended those remarks with the same point that I’m going to begin my remarks today with. I quote, “At a time when much of the world is buffeted by crises, Canada’s history, our institutions, and our traditions matter more than ever.” And while these foundations are expressed in language, practised in custom and convention, and enshrined in law, they can also take physical form. It can be made of timber and stone, stand as landmarks, as testaments in which we recognize ourselves.

In a world experiencing profound shifts, these places ground us. They bring us back to ourselves and remind us of the values that unite us. They help us stay true to who we are as the world around us keeps changing.

24 Sussex is nearly as old as our country. First built in 1868, it sits on a rise above the meeting of three rivers; the Ottawa, the Rideau, and the Gatineau. Home to 10 of Canada’s prime ministers, as Mr. Lightbound just said, from Louis St. Laurent to Stephen Harper. For more than 75 years, this house has welcomed leaders from around the world, including Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Sir Winston Churchill, President John F. Kennedy. 24 Sussex Drive is more than a residence. It’s greater than a mere backdrop to history. It’s a symbol of the public office of the head of our federal government and of the democratic traditions that office represents.

And yet it has not been cared for with the respect that it deserves. And after decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, this house sits empty. It’s been uninhabitable for more than a decade. Now, for years, many have agreed that 24 Sussex should be saved, but it was left to languish, and so the damage spread and the repair costs climbed. And now, it’s in critical condition. So today, our government is acting to renew this building, restore this institution, preserve our history, protect our heritage and traditions for generations to come, because that continuity matters. A nation is more than the people who live in it today. It includes everyone who came before us and everyone who will come after. Our institutions are how we carry forward what we were given and how we pass that on – at least intact, ideally improved – to those who follow. 

24 Sussex Drive is one of these institutions, and we will not let it crumble. We will set it right. Today, we’re launching a national design-and-build competition to restore 24 Sussex Drive, to become once again a secure, accessible, and sustainable official residence and a working venue for Canada’s future prime ministers. We will do this in a manner that reflects the very best of Canada.

And to get the very best, we must call on our leading talent so that is exactly what we will do. The design-and-build competition to restore 24 Sussex will be open to Canadian firms so that Canadian expertise, talent, and excellence are central to the project. The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada will help define the competition parameters and will convene an independent jury of exceptional Canadians – leaders in architecture, heritage conservation, and design. The jury will be chaired by Moshe Safdie, one of the world’s most renowned architects. A big thank you to you, sir. He is the person who designed the National Gallery of Canada – welcome, Mr. Genest – Vancouver’s Library Square, Habitat 67 – the bold architectural feat created for Expo 67 – and many other projects around the world. 

We are calling for proposals that are ambitious, achievable, and cost effective. The competition will be open to eligible Canadian firms, putting Canadian design excellence at the centre of the project. As I said, the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, drawing on its expertise supporting major architectural competitions, will provide advice on the competition framework, establish an independent jury of distinguished Canadian experts in architecture, heritage conservation, and design. Chaired by Moshe Safdie, one of the world’s most celebrated and accomplished architects, the jury will provide the key input to make the proposals and make their recommendation, sorry, to assess the proposals and to make their recommendation to Cabinet. The winning team will be responsible both for the design and the reconstruction of 24 Sussex, so they will need a credible, disciplined plan to see it through. A plan to bring to life, bring the building to life on time and to a standard worthy of the country that it serves. So, we’re turning to the country’s most innovative architects, designers, and builders for solutions to find the most ambitious, exciting, and affordable solutions. The winning proposal will be announced by Canada Day next year.

To further, further reduce the costs for the government, the Rideau Hall Foundation will lead a national fundraising campaign to raise the full amount or the majority of the amount needed to carry out this project. This initiative will give Canadians and philanthropic organizations across the country the opportunity to contribute directly to the restoration of an iconic site that belongs to all of us. 

I would like to express my personal and deep gratitude to prime ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chrétien for advocating for the renovation of 24 Sussex as the residence of the prime minister. I would also like to thank prime ministers Joe Clark, Kim Campbell, Paul Martin, and Justin Trudeau, who, together with Mila Mulroney, have expressed their support for this renovation. As with everything our government undertakes, it’s not just about what we build, it’s about how we build and why we build. 24 Sussex will be built by Canadians, for Canadians.

Our institutions do not remain strong and enduring on their own. Every generation must choose to renew them, to repair what has been neglected, and to strengthen the foundations on which future generations will depend. That is the choice we are making today. And we will do it the Canadian way, by drawing on Canadian talent, expertise, and excellence. 

Now, while 24 Sussex is a symbol of the office it serves, it must also be a home, and the women and men who will lead our country in the future will need a residence for their families. I may not look like it, but my kids are already grown, and I will never, in any event, live in 24 Sussex Drive. But future prime ministers will undoubtedly need to raise their children here as they lead our country. So, we’ll restore it so they may do so safely and securely. In the end, I and all public officials are stewards of the offices we hold. We don’t own them; we serve them to serve Canadians. And we have a responsibility to leave things better than we found them.

Our responsibility is not only to respect those who will hold office after us; we also have a duty to Canadians to preserve and strengthen the institutions that belong to them. 

Let me close with this: Canadians rightly expect their leaders to take decisions where the benefits may only be realized long after they’re in office. And this is the type of decision we’re taking today because good stewardship demands it, and because Canadians rightly expect it, and because the future of our institutions, all our institutions, depends on us leaving them better than we found them. We have to apply that principle comprehensively, not selectively.