Advancing National Design Excellence Through RAIC Competitions

September 08, 2025

 

The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada

Office of the Prime Minister
Ottawa, Ontario

 

Subject: Advancing National Design Excellence Through RAIC Competitions

Dear Prime Minister Carney,

On behalf of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), I wish to thank you for your leadership and for the early steps your government has taken to prioritize nation building, sustainability, and reconciliation within your mandate. We noted with interest your comments in June 2025, as reported at the time by Canadian Press (June 14, 2025), that there are currently no immediate plans to address the future of 24 Sussex during your mandate. More recently, the Toronto Star published Éric Blais’s column, “There’s one nation‑building project that Mark Carney ought to add to his list” (August 28, 2025). For your convenience, a copy of the attached Toronto Star article is enclosed with this letter. Taken together, these perspectives highlight both the complexity and the urgency of this issue: while immediate action may not be planned, there is a growing recognition that the future of the official residence is a matter of national importance deserving thoughtful planning and public engagement.

 

As Canada’s national voice for architecture, the RAIC has a long and distinguished record of working with the federal government on projects of national significance. Through our stewardship of open, rigorous, and internationally recognized design competitions, we have ensured that these processes are transparent, fair, and inclusive. In this role, the RAIC serves as an experienced third‑party, arms‑length organization, trusted to safeguard public confidence while ensuring that design excellence remains at the centre of decision‑making.

 

International design competitions under RAIC leadership have consistently produced outcomes of the highest quality. By structuring competitions with clear briefs, independent juries, and strong public and stakeholder engagement, RAIC ensures processes that are credible, transparent, and globally competitive. These competitions attract top Canadian and international architectural talent, yielding innovative solutions that resonate with both local communities and national priorities.

 

Recent examples illustrate this capacity:

These projects demonstrate how international design competitions, when conducted through a trusted, independent body like the RAIC, consistently deliver bold, sustainable, and inclusive outcomes. They also generate public trust, foster international recognition of Canadian leadership, and create built environments that will stand as lasting legacies. In addition, RAIC brings deep expertise in heritage, ensuring that projects requiring restoration, adaptive reuse, and preservation are undertaken with sensitivity and skill. This knowledge positions us uniquely to support initiatives such as the future of 24 Sussex, where heritage significance, security, sustainability, and public symbolism converge.

 

With this in mind, we would respectfully request the opportunity to meet with you and relevant members of your Cabinet in the coming weeks. Such a meeting would allow us to share insights from RAIC’s work, explore opportunities to align future design competitions with your government’s priorities, and discuss how architecture can serve as a unifying tool in advancing Canada’s national objectives.

 

We believe that Canada has a unique opportunity to demonstrate global leadership in design, heritage stewardship, sustainability, and reconciliation. The RAIC is ready to contribute our expertise in support of this vision.

 

We thank you for your attention to this matter and look forward to the possibility of engaging directly with you and your team.

 

Respectfully,