A B.C. woman is calling on the federal government to stop funding the home of the federal opposition leader.
Carol Burman wants to put an end to the 75-year-old perk, so she’s launched a Commons petition calling on the government to stop funding Stornoway.
This is where the leader of the official Opposition lives.
“Currently in the G7, no other country provides funding or housing for the leader of the Opposition,” Burman told Global News.
The 9,500 square-foot, 19-room mansion was built in 1914, bought by a trust to house the Opposition leader in the 1950s, and sold to the federal government in the 70s.
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Preston Manning initially refused to move in when he first became leader of the Opposition, calling it too extravagant, but politicians of all stripes, from Stephen Harper and Stephane Dion to Thomas Mulcair and now Pierre Poilievre, have called it home this century.
“I think we should maintain it as part of our heritage of Canada, as part of our democracy and I’m happy to see Pierre Poilievre living in Stornoway,” Scott Heatherington, president of the Rockcliffe Park Residents Association, said.
But it comes at a cost. A 2021 report found the average annual operating and maintenance costs for Stornoway were nearly $80,000 and it needed an investment of $1.25 million over a decade to address deferred maintenance.
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Green Party leader Elizabeth May is sponsoring the online petition.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that a citizen in Victoria — I’m proud to call her a constituent — Carol Burman, has sparked a national conversation,” May said.
It comes as plans to restore the prime minister’s official residence at 24 Sussex Dr. move ahead and a fundraising campaign is under way to raise $50 million to carry out the work.
Poilievre previously stated he is not impressed with that plan.
“I just think the last thing on our minds should be 24 Sussex Dr.,” he said.
But as Berman’s petition gains momentum, she says her quest is about prudence, not politics.
“The petition is asking that Canadian taxpayers no longer fund Stornoway, regardless of the occupant,” she said.
Once the petition is presented to parliament in the fall, the government will have 45 days to respond.
If a liberal was living there then hell ya defund that b… If not then shut the F up you whiny commies.
So let’s go after Pierre but not the GG or paying for the speaker’s hotel, food and everything else. Sounds pretty irrational. Its sad how much mental illness affects senior women in Canada.
I support this petition because Pollivier has been mouching off the taxpayers of Canada long enough. It is time for the looser to pay his own way something he has hardly ever done & he is not a good leader.
A stupid Green Party attempt to get some press coverage. I support 24 Sussex Drive for the PM and The Leader of His Majestie’s Loyal Opposition House. They make sense in a large country, think of their families. Not this waste of time proposal from some annoying cry baby on the Left Coast.
WOW now that is a slow news day.
Ms Burman go away you had your 15 minutes.
Very very sad that global news would even consider this relevant.
This makes no sense to me. She wants to preserve the house as historical, but not be the official opposition house. The cost to maintain the house would probably be the same. It just seems mean-spirited to me. And I am no fan of Pierre Pollivere
Hi ima tarded
Really? Let’s get down to the real business of Canada and stop nit-picking about whose residence should be funded or not by taxpayers.
Four of the seven G7 countries are democratic republics and don’t have an Opposition leader. Only the UK, Canada, and Japan have constitutional monarchies that have such positions. Nice try though.
Proving that women are stupid. Dear women, get fucked your tyranical cunts.
wELL NOW, FIVE TIMES I HAVE TRIED TO GET A COMMENT THROUGH. iT SEEMS HERE THAT FOLKS CAN BASH AWAY AT THE OPPOSITION BUT CANNOT SPEAK THE TRUTH ABOUT THE tRUDEAUS OR THE lIBERALS WHO HAVE AND CONTINUE TO DECIMATE THIS CPOUNTRY. gLOBAL IS A BIASED, FACSIST FRAUD!
The Elder Boomers (aka: resurrected hippies) Conveniently becoming hippies after they no longer need to grape the earth. They’re hell bent on throwing a match on the world on their way out the door. This is the most hypocritical generation in modern history.
I guarantee she wouldn’t have started this petition if the Green leader lived there. This is blind hatred, akin to TDS. These overly dramatic, Leftist women are all insane. They’re destroying the Western World.
The uncontrollable hatred of these ppl is borderline psychopathic. How about the GG? How about the speaker? No. Only to attack Pierre. Talk about division. 🙄
This woman must be a liberal! The opposition party deserves a place in history. This home was erected for this & should reflect the power that our democracy gives the opposition to keep the P.M. in the right direction.
Is she drunk again? Probably!
No problem!
I will start a petition to stop payments
for PM housing and meals and travel
Starting immediately
And to cancel the Governor General position
Agreed?
If this is what gets her knickers in knot I can’t even imagine what it would be like living with someone like this.
Should stop paying for carneys food on the plane if you wont to save money.
Regardless of what other countries do, we should abolish it because it’s discriminatory. The leaders of the other parties don’t get similar perks. What if we have a situation where there is a tie for second place? Do we flip a coin to decide who gets to live there? How about a bare-knuckle brawl?
waste of time
Easy idea here to save millions. How about we the taxpayers stop paying for every meal that curropt politicians get? They’ve caused the inflation so they should need to pay the price too.
Complete nonsense.
Seems it’s the only thing going for the Greens and dear old Elizabeth on her way out.
Then don’t fund the P.M’s building either!
The leader of the UK opposition gets L65k to cover the cost of housing. They also get a chauffeur driven limo.
The East Indian leader of the opposition lives rent free in a government provided residence. – including maintenance.
Most other countries either pay their opposition leader a stipend which covers their rent, or provides free housing.
The statement that Canada is the only one that does this is completely wrong.
Do not sign this silly petition.
How do I sign the petition?
Are we really going to consider May as an official “opposition”? Lol. Yeah. Ok. I think she shouldn’t be there definitionally, nevermind the fabricated reason this crusader Karen wants to claim its for.
I’m always surprised at some of the comments being made. It would be refreshing to actually read something helpful instead of people just spewing out garbage.
Thst is a stupid idea.
Whatever.
I wonder who she voted for?
I wonder if it were JT or Carney living in there would she be making a fuse about it. All of these MPs get a housing allowance to basically rent housing in Ottawa it surprise me at all if the amount wasn’t close to 80k.
There are bigger fish to fry than one.
If she wants to save money there are billions in wasted funds going in social justice money pits.
Elisabeth May what an irrelevant joke.
Sure her petition has nothing to do with who’s living there. And May had nothing to do with it either but is in full support of it… right. Yet, they are silent on the proposed $36 to $100 million price tag to renovate 24 Sussex Dr. Hypocrites!
So, one cannot outline the rank spending and billions out the door to wars. The billions to the indians. The billions to aid every damned country and fly that rat bag carney all over the world doing NOTHING FOR CANADA!!!!
GO TO H*LL GLOBAL!
This is a ridiculous petition. Canadians don’t understand that the official opposition is an official government position. It’s there for the Canadian people to keep the government that’s in power in check. People seem to think that the leader of the official opposition is a negative person but it’s literally there to protect the interests of the Canadian people. Without opposition the government in power goes unchecked. It’s like saying you don’t want a voice and you want corruption to take hold.
Prudence ?????
Check the carney food budget
This petition is down right stupid
Rita Layton
July 11, 2026 at 9:36 am
Where is petition to sign
You mean liberals can write?
Where is petition to sign
Well played, Carol. Thank you for holding our government to cost-saving measures when the costs for the rest of us continue to climb.
Another useful idiot for chairman Mark Mao Carnage.
We
SNC Lavalin
Green slush fund
Money for Ukraine
Money for Lgbtqrstuv awareness
Cerb overpays
Bailouts for developers….
You would think any of these egregious wastes of money would trigger the same reaction from “voters” to start a petition.
But no, some bored cat lady thinks this is a worthy reason!?
And the paid media amplify’s the call….
Even if you don’t like the Cons, this is obviously another distraction…..
We truly are looking more and more like the UK….scary times indeed
Get a hobby,Liberal Cat Lady.
Has she not have anything better to do, go after carny, he gives taxpayers money away all over the world, oh but that’s ok!
Doesn’t even scratch the surface of the ridiculous perks government and city are stealing from us.
Let carnhole live in a outhouse, that’s where he belongs
So you Momos want to sign up for the petition??? Peck Peck Peck….when the pendulum swings again, better duck!
Where is the petition? Where do we sign on? Thanks.
If Polilievre and the Conservatives truly cares about the budget. Their signatures would be on the first page. I care, Where do I sign. It would be fitting since Harper and Poilievre along with the conservatives voted to delay OAS till 67.
For years as a Liberal supporter, I thought there was nobody better than Cons at playing dirty politics.
Fast forward to the 20s, the Liberals, NDP, Greens, have upped the ante.
Never seen anything like this….they actually believe that they are morally superior, and the good guys….
Will you widgets wake up, and see there are no GOOD guys!
I bet it is the leftists pushing this. There are so many other things to be concerned about. Our country is being. Destroyed by the Chinese communis liberal puppets and the communist ndp.