The conservative leader Pierre Poilievre closed his offices of the constituency and the Parliament after his electoral defeat in Carleton, but he is expected to stay in Stornoway, the Canadian residence for the leader of the official opposition, despite losing that title.
While Pailievre is still the leader of the Conservative Party, his Caucus selected Andrew Scheer last week as an interim leader of the official opposition for the spring session of Parliament. By law, only a parliamentarian can have that title, and Pailievre no longer has a seat in the House of Commons for the first time in 20 years.
Scheer says that Pailievre’s offices in Ottawa are now closed, but he hopes that Pailievre, his wife and two young children remain in Stornoway.
“Since Mr. Poilievre hopes to be re -elected as a member of Parliament in a few months and Prime Minister Carney promised to celebrate the election by the national team, it would be more expensive for taxpayers to move the family and then return to the residence,” Scheer said in a statement.
“I have no intention of moving to the residence, so we hope that the family will remain there through this short transition phase.”
The House of the Commons says that parliamentarians who are not re -elected must vacate their parliamentary and constituency offices within 21 days after the loss of an election. But it depends on the Conservative Party Manage who lives in Stornoway, says the Office of the Private Council.
The conservative party has faced questions from Poilievre’s electoral loss about whether it was allowed to stay in the official residence without serving as a deputy.
Scheer says that his party refers to him as a “parliamentary leader” until Pailievre returns and quoted savings with taxpayers as a reason why the conservative leader is expected to remain in the residence owned by the government.
The last time the move costs for an official opposition leader was in 2022, when the conservative leader Candice Bergen lived in Stornoway for less than a year. The Federal Government paid about $ 20,000 to prepare the official residence for its arrival, reported the Globe and Mail at that time.
It is not clear exactly how much it could cost to move Pailievre and return to Stornoway. CBC News asked the National Capital Commission, which manages official residences, for an average estimated cost, but has not yet received an answer.
A report published under the Information Access Law said it cost more than $ 78,000 in public funds to keep Stornoway during fiscal year 2023-24. That includes the cost of public services, property management rates and the maintenance of Stornoway land.
Deputy Damien Kurek announced that he is taking aside for Pailievre to run in his Alberta de Battle River-Crowoot, a conservative fortress. But I could spend a while before Pailievre has the opportunity to return to the House of Commons.
Kurek cannot give up his seat until 30 days after his electoral result is published in the official publication of the federal government called Canada Gazette, says the office of the president of the Chamber of the Commons.
The average cost of maintaining a federal election by $ 1.7 million between 2021 and 2024, according to Elections Canada. The costs can vary according to the electoral district and the duration of the electoral period, says the agency.
