(Ottawa) Canada’s consul general in New York told a Commons committee Thursday that he had nothing to do with the acquisition of his new official residence in New York and did not even know when he would move in.
Former CTV reporter Tom Clark answered questions via video conference from members of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, which is examining the federal government’s decision to purchase a new $9 million executive suite on Billionaires’ Row, just south of Central Park in Manhattan.
Mr. Clark assured committee members that the decision to sell the old official residence or buy the new one was entirely made by the Ottawa real estate agency and that he had nothing to do with it.
At previous Commons committee meetings, senior government officials have stressed that the land acquisition was made because the former consular residence in New York needed renovation work that would have cost millions of dollars.
They argued that buying the new home made more financial sense. They also said Mr. Clark had no role in the decision.
Global Affairs Canada has put the former executive apartment up for sale for $13 million. The apartment was purchased in 1961 and was last renovated in 1982.
Conservative members of the committee called the purchase of the “luxury” apartment a “waste” of public funds. They said the acquisition demonstrates once again that the Liberals are out of touch with the financial struggles of ordinary Canadians.
Concerns about the condition of the Park Avenue apartment were first raised in 2014. Global Affairs Canada approved $1.8 million in renovations in 2021, but that work has been delayed due to the pandemic.
Documents submitted to the Commons committee show that the cost of the renovation project subsequently rose to £2.6m and the work did not appear to address some of the fundamental problems with the flat.
The official residence did not comply with legislation on accessibility for people with disabilities, there was no separation between the family space and the work space, and the board of directors of the apartment building had imposed restrictions on the events that could be held there, the ministry explained.
Consul Clark said Thursday he has hosted 38 events at the current official residence since arriving in February 2023. “This is Canada’s home in New York,” he said Thursday.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett said documents received by the committee suggest discussions about buying a new residence “intensified” within Global Affairs after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Clark in New York last April. “You asked him for a new place, didn’t you?” Barrett asked the consul.
Mr. Clark replied: “That is incorrect.”
Mr. Barrett then asked the consul if he had ever questioned the advisability of purchasing this apartment given the cost of living crisis in Canada.
“I am well aware of the housing challenges that Canadians and Americans face,” Clark said. “In this case, I was not involved in any way, shape or form in the decision to purchase this new residence.”
He later said he was paying $1,800 a month in rent for his residence, although he did not specify whether that was in Canadian or U.S. dollars.
Conservative MPs have repeatedly accused Mr Clark of lying, reading an email submitted by Global Affairs that claimed the head of mission in New York was instrumental throughout the purchase process and that the consul had given the “green light” to the new residence. Mr Clark insisted that email was incorrect.
The Conservatives have already promised to sack Mr Clark if they win the next election.