Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre currently lives in Stornoway, the residence for the Official Opposition leader.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Canada’s tradition of providing a residence for the Official Opposition leader is being targeted by a parliamentary petition advanced by a Victoria resident.
As of Tuesday, Carol Burman’s petition to stop funding Stornoway as a private residence for the Opposition leader had received 14,831 signatures. The petition opened for signatures on May. 1. The option to sign closes July 30.
Ms. Burman’s arguments in the petition include that Canada is the only Western democracy to fund a residence for the Official Opposition.
The House of Commons allows for petitions as a means of drawing attention to issues of public interest, and to urge the government, ministers, MPs or the Commons, in general, toward a certain course of action. Such petitions have to be sponsored by an MP.
Located in the Rockcliffe Park area of Ottawa, Stornoway has been available to Official Opposition leaders in Canada since 1950, a year before 24 Sussex Dr. was opened as a residence for Canada’s prime minister. The 9,500 square-foot home has 19 rooms. It includes a secondary building, which serves as a two-car garage, and a second-storey loft.
Ms. Burman, a retired human resources professional, said in an interview that she is concerned about reducing government spending. Asked about her politics, she said she did not vote for either the Conservatives or Liberals in the last federal election.
She said cutting spending on Stornoway won’t add up to much, but is a good start to controlling costs. She added that she would rather have her taxpayer dollars go toward transmission lines, port expansions or submarines.
“I’m sorry. I do not want to pay for the leader of the Opposition, regardless of party, to have a chef, a chauffeur, a 9,500-square-foot mansion that is private, not open to the public,” she said. “Quite frankly, that’s why I did it.”
The Official Residences Act says the Official Opposition leader may appoint a steward or housekeeper and not more than three other employees to manage the residence. However, it is not clear how the residence is staffed.
Stornoway’s current resident is Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who moved in with his family in 2022 after he was elected party leader.
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In 2021, the National Capital Commission released a report on Canada’s official residences that said the 10-year-average for Stornoway operations and maintenance funding was $78,505, for fiscal years 2010-11 to 2019-20. The document also said capital spending for that time period was $651,353.
Jamie Innes, a spokesperson for the NCC said in a statement that questions about staffing would have to be addressed to the Opposition Leader’s Office. The Office of the Official Opposition Leader did not respond to a request for comment on the petition.
The NCC, in response to the questions from The Globe and Mail, said notable spending is required to deal with Stornoway.
“In the medium term, plans call for a significant recapitalization of the residence,” Mr. Innes said in a statement.
That effort, he said, is required to address deferred maintenance, update accessibility and sustainability in line with modern standards, and enhance “the overall functionality of the residence.”
He did not specify how much these changes would cost.
A previous statement issued by commission spokesperson Cassandra Demers said that last summer, the NCC completed the rehabilitation of Stornoway’s veranda, among other renovations, restoring a key heritage feature of the property.
Ms. Burman’s petition was sponsored by Elizabeth May, the leader of the Green Party.
Ms. May said in an interview that Ms. Burman approached her office for support, and that as an MP, she supports the idea of a public discussion about spending priorities.
“It’s particularly striking that there has been never any question at all that the leader of the Official Opposition’s residence and staff and comfort is, without question, paid for by the public.”
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Ms. May said the petition is timely given that the federal government has launched a public fundraising campaign to cover the costs of renovating 24 Sussex Dr.
That residence has been closed since 2015 because of physical decline. Prime Minister Mark Carney instead lives at Rideau Cottage on the grounds of Rideau Hall, where the governor-general lives and works.
The Rideau Hall Foundation, a charitable organization involved in amplifying the work of the governor-general, has been managing the fundraising effort. In a statement on Monday, foundation spokesperson Jill Clark said the effort had raised $425,515, including online donations and pledges under $25,000.
During the Second World War, Stornoway was the home of the exiled Dutch royal family. In 1946, senator Michael Grattan O’Leary kicked off an effort to locate a home for the leader of the Opposition, and raised funds that allowed the purchase of Stornoway for $55,000.
George Drew, an Ontario premier who became Conservative leader, was the first resident in 1950.
The federal government took ownership of the property in 1970. The NCC has managed the federal heritage building since 1988.