Why Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre moved out of his office, but not Stornoway

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre closed his constituency and Parliament Hill offices following his election defeat in Carleton, but is expected to stay in Stornoway — Canada’s residence for the leader of the Official Opposition — despite losing that title. 

While Poilievre remains the leader of the Conservative Party, his caucus selected Andrew Scheer last week as interim leader of the Official Opposition for the spring sitting of Parliament. By law only an MP can hold that title, and Poilievre no longer has a seat in the House of Commons for the first time in 20 years.

Scheer says Poilievre’s Ottawa offices are now closed but expects Poilievre, his wife and two young children to remain at Stornoway.

“Given that Mr. Poilievre hopes to be re-elected as a Member of Parliament in a few months and Prime Minister Carney promised to hold the byelection quickly, it would be more costly to taxpayers to move the family out and then right back into the residence,” Scheer said in a statement.

“I have no intention to move into the residence and so we expect the family will just remain there through this short transition phase.”

The House of Commons says MPs who aren’t re-elected must vacate their parliamentary and constituency offices within 21 days of losing an election. But it’s up to the Conservative Party to manage who lives in Stornoway, the Privy Council Office says.

The Conservative Party has faced questions since Poilievre’s election loss about if he was allowed to stay in the official residence without serving as an MP. 

Scheer cited savings to taxpayers as a reason why Poilievre is expected to stay at the government-owned residence. 

The last time moving costs for an Official Opposition leader were made public was in 2022, when Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen lived in Stornoway for less than a year. The federal government paid close to $20,000 to prepare the official residence for her arrival, the Globe and Mail reported at the time. 

It’s unclear exactly how much it could cost to move Poilievre out and back into Stornoway. CBC News asked the National Capital Commission, which manages official residences, for an average estimated cost, but has not yet received a response. 

A report released under the Access to Information Act said it cost more than $78,000 in public funds to maintain Stornoway during the 2023-24 fiscal year. That includes the cost of utilities, property management fees and maintenance of Stornoway’s grounds. 

MP Damien Kurek announced he’s stepping aside so Poilievre can run in his Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot — a Conservative stronghold. But it could take some time before Poilievre has a chance to return to the House of Commons. 

Kurek can’t resign his seat until 30 days after their election result is published in the federal government’s official publication called the Canada Gazette, the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons says. 

The average cost to hold a federal byelection was $1.7 million between 2021 and 2024, according to Elections Canada. The costs can vary depending on the electoral district and length of the election period, the agency says.