Custom Canadian wool rug presented to Governor General

The rug was produced using 100 per cent Canadian wool as part of a project involving the Canadian Wool Council and industry partners.

By Canadian Interiors On Jun 9, 2026

The Vice-Regal Wool Rug, designed by Governor General Mary Simon and produced in Ontario using 100 per cent Canadian wool. Image courtesy of the Campaign for Wool in Canada

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, 30th Governor General of Canada, received a one-of-a-kind, handcrafted rug designed by Governor General Simon and made entirely from 100 per cent Canadian wool, at a special ceremony held at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on May 29, 2026.

The Vice-Regal Wool Rug was unveiled at an event hosted by the Canadian Wool Council and the Campaign for Wool in Canada. The event was attended by artisans, designers, and project partners. The rug was presented to Canada’s first Indigenous Governor General during her term in office.

The rug, measuring 8’ x 10’, was designed by Governor General Simon. The design was based on colours and textures from a childhood place in the Canadian North. The National Capital Commission (NCC) and Toronto-based rug design firm Creative Matters participated in the project. The rug was produced by craftspeople at Cabernet Carpets in Waterloo, Ontario, using 100 per cent Canadian wool. The project was funded by Dr. Michael Dan, C.M., O.Ont.

In a private presentation prior to the reception, Governor General Simon and Mr. Whit Fraser saw the completed rug for the first time, met with the partners involved in the project, and posed for the official group photograph before joining the wider celebration.

[PHOTO: Group photograph with the Governor General and representatives of the Canadian Wool
Council, Creative Matters, Cabernet Carpets, and the NCC, at the unveiling of the Vice-Regal Wool
Rug, Rideau Hall, Ottawa, May 29, 2026. From L to R: Matthew J. Rowe, Campaign for Wool; Her
Excellency Governor General Mary Simon; Ann Malone-Bianconi, NCC; Ali McMurter, Creative Matters; Mike
Fuendling, Cabernet Carpets Inc.; Rosa Wharton, Creative Matters; Photo credit: Lidiya Beida]

“This rug is 100 per cent Product of Canada in every sense — the wool, the design, the manufacturing, and the vision behind it,” said Matthew J. Rowe, chair of the Campaign for Wool in Canada and Canadian Wool Council, and Head of Delegation—Canada for the International Wool Textile Organization. “Governor General Simon honoured our industry and our country by choosing to tell a piece of her story in Canadian wool. We are especially grateful to our donor Dr. Michael Dan for making this special project possible, and hope this piece will inspire Canadians for generations to come as it takes its permanent place at Rideau Hall.”

The rug will remain at Rideau Hall as a donation to the Canadian Crown Collection, which documents Governor General Simon’s term in office.

The Canadian Wool Council invited Madam Justice Louise Arbour, incoming Governor General of Canada, as well as Prime Minister Mark Carney to design their own custom Canadian wool rug for donation to the Crown Collection, a tradition the Council hopes will grow into a practice in public life in Canada.

The project is part of the Campaign for Wool, the international initiative founded under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III, which promotes wool as a natural, renewable, and biodegradable fibre. Canada’s participation in the Campaign, and this gift to the Governor General, reflects Canada’s wool industry and its creative and manufacturing talent.

The project involves Canadian wool production, design input, and manufacturing in Ontario, and is part of the Canadian Wool Council’s objectives to develop high-value added opportunities for Canadian wool as outlined in the Carpet Plan. The Canadian Wool Council hopes future Governors General will create their own custom rugs, building a collection that reflects their personal stories and visions of Canada. While official portraits and commissioned artworks are common traditions around the world, a collection of custom-designed Canadian wool rugs would be a uniquely Canadian way to preserve those legacies through design, craft, and storytelling.