Stephen Harper to move back to Calgary following election defeat
Harper and his wife and daughter will move to Calgary, but son will continue his studies at Queen's
Outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his wife, Laureen, and daughter, Rachel, will be moving back to Calgary, CBC News has learned.
Harper's son, Ben, will stay in Ontario while attending Queen's University in Kingston.
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Movers were seen carrying items from 24 Sussex, the official residence of Canada's prime minister, into a truck in Ottawa on Tuesday. One of the movers was carrying a guitar from Harper's prized collection.
Harper's Conservatives were demoted to Opposition ranks following a Liberal majority win in last Monday's general election.
Harper, who was elected in the Alberta riding of Calgary Heritage, resigned as Conservative Party leader but will stay on as an MP.
He will commute to Ottawa from Calgary, a source told CBC News on condition of anonymity.
Harper spent much of the past week calling many members of his caucus, a second source said.
Conservatives will gather in Ottawa next week, a day after prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau appoints a new cabinet.
It is unclear at this point whether Harper will attend his party's caucus meeting.
He is expected to keep a low profile.
Four Conservatives — Candice Bergen, Rob Nicholson, Erin O'Toole and Diane Finley — are running for interim leadership of the party.
While Harper has not spoken publicly since he gave his concession speech in Calgary last Monday, he attended a public ceremony alongside prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau in Ottawa last week.
The two men put their political differences aside to commemorate the lives of Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, the two Canadian soldiers who were killed in separate attacks on Parliament Hill and in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., last October.
Harper stood side-by-side with Trudeau as the two laid a wreath at the National War Memorial.
He was also seen briefly leaving his office at the Langevin Block in Ottawa following a meeting with Trudeau, which the Liberal Party described as "positive" and "very generous."
Competing petitions to rename the Calgary International Airport after Harper sparked a heated exchange on Tuesday between thousands of Canadians who added their names to either side of the hypothetical debate.
This election marked a shift for Harper, who had in the past kept his children out of the public spotlight.
Unlike during past election campaigns, Ben and Rachel were seen front and centre at some of the Conservative leader's announcements and fundraising events.
Some party supporters attended campaign events just to get a peek at the young Harpers.
With files from CBC's Susana Mas