Waterloo company helps craft one-of-a-kind rug for Canada’s Governor General

The Governor General and representatives of the Canadian Wool Council, Creative Matters, Cabernet Carpets and the National Capital Commission posed for a photo during the unveiling of the Vice-Regal Wool Rug at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ont. on May 29, 2026. (Courtesy: Lidiya Beida)

The work of a Waterloo, Ont. company is once again being featured within Rideau Hall thanks to the Canadian Wool Council and the Campaign for Wool in Canada.

On Friday, Governor General Mary Simon received a one-of-a-kind rug that she helped create. The work of art is known as the Vice-Regal Wool Rug and was inspired by Simon’s childhood in the Canadian north.

Cabernet Carpets in Waterloo worked with a Toronto-based rug design company, Creative Matters, to make the rug a reality. It is made of 100 per cent Canadian wool.

“Governor General Simon honoured our industry and our country by choosing to tell a piece of her story in Canadian wool,” Matthew J. Rowe, chair of the Campaign for Wool in Canada and Canadian Wool Council, said in a news release. “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 is now part of the Canadian Crown Collection, a series of art containing more than 4,000 pieces.

“Canada produces exceptional wool, and we have the skill and talent here in Ontario to manufacture pieces fit for the most important rooms in this country and across the globe,” Mike Fuendling, president and CEO of Cabernet Carpets Inc., said. “At a time when buying domestic and supporting Canadian manufacturing matters more than ever, we are proud that Rideau Hall will tell that story. We are grateful to Creative Matters Inc. and the Campaign for Wool for their partnership in bringing this project to life, and we are deeply honoured to present Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon with something that celebrates the very best of what Canada has to offer.”

The rug in the ballroom of Rideau Hall is also a Cabernet Carpets creation.