Stornoway

Befitting his position as the second highest ranking politician in the country, the Leader of the Opposition in Canada is provided with an official residence: Stornoway. Located at 541 Acacia Street in the Rockcliffe area of Ottawa, Stornoway is valued at over two-million dollars and is maintained with $70 000 a year in government funds.

While Stornoway has served its present purpose since 1950 (when it was purchased by a group of concerned citizens - and later transferred to the government), it wasn't until 1993 that it entered the national vernacular. In that year Bloc Québécois leader Lucien Bouchard declined to move into the residence as a mark of protest against the federal government[?], choosing instead to live in nearby Hull, Quebec. Following the next election the new opposition leader, Preston Manning, declined to move in for a different reason: protesting that it was too extravagant and a waste of taxpayer money. Manning asked that he be provided with a more 'modest' residence, but soon relented and moved into Stornoway to much public snickering. Subsequent opposition leaders have happily taken advantage of Stornoway and other perks that come with the job (including a car and driver, and a significant pay raise over a normal MP).

Other Canadian Official Residences

• Rideau Hall[?] (1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa) - Residence of the Governor General
• 24 Sussex Drive (Ottawa) - Residence of the Prime Minister
• Harrington Lake[?] (Gatineau Park) - Prime Minister's retreat
• The Farm[?] (Gatineau Park) - Residence of the Speaker of the House of Commons
• 7 Rideau Gate[?] (Ottawa) - Official guest house of the Canadian government