After election loss, Poilievre likely to lose his home. What to know about Stornoway, residence of Canada's leader of the Opposition
It was purchased by the Government of Canada on Jan. 1, 1970. The NCC has managed the property since 1988.
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In 1950, former Ontario premier and Conservative leader George Drew was the first leader of the Opposition to stay in the home, along with his wife, Fiorenza Johnson. Next were Lester and Marion Pearson, in 1958.
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Stornoway has also been home to John G. Diefenbaker, Robert L. Stanfield, C. Joseph Clark, Pierre Trudeau and John Turner.
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More recently, Stornoway was home to Andrew Scheer, Erin O'Toole, Candice Bergen, and then Poilievre.
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Yes. In 2011, NDP leader Jack Layton only stayed in the residence for one night, according to an archived iPolitics article. Layton later opted to spend most of his time in Toronto to receive medical care for cancer. He died later that year.
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Previously, Bloc Quebecois leader Lucien Bouchard refused to live there in 1993, according to iPolitics.
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What features does Stornoway have?
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'Stornoway was designed as a two and one half storey wooden house sheathed in stucco,' Parks Canada explains. 'All detailing was of the simplest nature, with bracketed wooden window shades above the ground floor windows on the front facade. The most evident decorative elements were a small pediment above the entrance door, flanked by narrow vertical windows; and a tall round headed window to the right of the main entrance emphasized by a small wrought iron rail.'
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It continued: 'In 1923, Keefer designed a projecting two storey wing at the north-western corner of the house. The stable on the grounds was converted to a three-car garage and a second floor added above it. The house was virtually unaltered from 1923 until 1978 when the porte cochère was removed.'
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A square porch was added in 1983, which 'incorporates a cornice, pilasters and a rectangular transom and sidelights evocative of those which surrounded the original entrance, yet gives the house a more traditional appearance.'
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