Newly minted interim Opposition leader Andrew Scheer says talks are “ongoing” about the current Stornoway conundrum — but he doesn’t sound eager to move into the official residence.
The Saskatchewan MP was chosen to temporarily take over Pierre Poilievre’s parliamentary duties as the Conservative leader seeks to reclaim a seat in the House of Commons.
Poilievre lost his long-held Ontario riding on election night, which has raised questions about whether or not he would have to move out of Stornoway, where he and his family have resided since shortly after he became leader of the Conservative Party in 2022.
By law, that state-owned residence is reserved for the leader of the Official Opposition, a position that can only be held by a sitting MP.
Scheer, who is acting as the Official Opposition leader, told CBC’s Power & Politics that “discussions are still ongoing” about the Stornoway situation — but it doesn’t sound like he will be telling Poilievre to pack his bags.
“It does cost a lot of taxpayers’ money to … move somebody out, move somebody in, just to move them out, just to move somebody in again,” Scheer told host David Cochrane.
“My own view on this is whatever is most efficient, the most cost-effective for Canadian taxpayers. We don’t want this to add … any extra burden.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, speaking from Parliament Hill on Tuesday as he was walking to meet with his caucus, is asked what he has learned from the election, which left him without a seat in the House of Commons.
The Privy Council Office told CBC News last week that Stornoway is reserved for the Opposition leader, but suggested it is up to the Conservative Party to handle the situation.
“Any questions on how the Conservative Party will manage its leadership in the House of Commons in the future, and therefore who will reside at the official residence, should be directed to the Conservative Party,” the statement said.
Scheer said that he hopes Poilievre can return to the House as soon as possible to make the Stornoway question irrelevant.
“We anticipate this is just an eight-to-12-week scenario, and whatever decisions are made around office space and residences and things like that, in the grand scheme of things, will be moot very quickly,” he said.
Conservative MP Damien Kurek announced he’ll step aside so Poilievre can run in his Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot. But the process of kickstarting that byelection could take some time.
According to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Commons, Members of Parliament can’t resign their seat until 30 days after their election result is published in the Canada Gazette, the federal government’s official publication.
After the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, it took about a month before the chief electoral officer’s validated results were published in the gazette.
Once Kurek is in the clear to resign, it’s the Speaker who informs the chief electoral officer that a seat is vacant.
Then, the Governor General, on the advice of the prime minister and cabinet, can set the date for the byelection — between 11 and 180 days after an MP resigns.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he is committed to ensuring a byelection would take place “as soon as possible.” Still, it is possible that Poilievre won’t be back in the House until the fall sitting.
Presuming that Poilievre wins in Battle River-Crowfoot — considered one of the safest Conservative ridings in the country — it sounds like it will only be a temporary constituency for the Conservative leader. Scheer said the party expects Kurek to run in the riding in the next general election, though it remains to be seen where Poilievre would then seek a seat.
