Opposition MPs accuse Consul general of lying on N.Y. residence

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OTTAWA — Opposition MPs accused Canada’s Consul General in New York of lying to a Commons committee over the fact he’d raised concerns about his official residence as the government purchased a $9-million condo on Billionaires’ Row.

Thursday, Consul General Tom Clark was grilled by opposition MPs at the Commons Government Operations committee over whether he did or didn’t influence Global Affair Canada’s (GAC) decision to purchase the new luxury official residence.

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In previous testimony, Clark had assured the committee that he had played no role in GAC’s decision to purchase a new official residence in New York City, arguing that the process had begun years previous and was well underway by the time he was appointed in February 2023.

GAC claims that the new residence represents up to $7.4 million in savings for taxpayers, since it comes at a lower cost than the $13 million listing price of the current one and will eliminate spending $2.6 million in renovation costs and save $115,000 in annual operational fees.

But in recent weeks, documents released via an access to information request to Politico and the National Post revealed an internal GAC email that noted “the (Consulate General New York) in April 2023 informed … senior management that the property is not suitable for representational activities, and it is not suitable as a residence and requires immediate replacement.”

Following that reporting, the committee re-summoned Clark to explain the apparent contradiction. Thursday, Conservatives charged the consul general with lying to committee and called on him to resign, while the NDP worried that he had tried to mislead MPs.

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“There are now multiple data points that didn’t come from admissions from you or your staff … that revealed that you were involved, that your Champagne tastes weren’t being met,” charged Conservative MP Michael Barrett.

“Why don’t you just come clean with this committee and Canadians admit you’ve lied, follow in Randy Boissonnault’s footsteps and resign,” added his colleague Kelly Block, referring to Boissonnault’s resignation from cabinet Wednesday due to shifting statements over ties to Indigenous heritage.

During the meeting, Clark insisted that the new $9-million condo on New York City’s Billionaires’ Row is “smaller, it’s cheaper and it’s accessible” and that concerns he expressed about the former residence were not meant to “influence” the new purchase.

In fact, he repeatedly stated that he had “nothing to do” with GAC’s decision to purchase that specific residence. but admitted that he had made “casual comments” in the office expressing concerns about the accessibility and reception space of the former residence.

He said those had to do with the furniture not being useable for people with mobility or accessibility issues and the fact that “designated family space” in the old residence was limited to bedrooms while the remaining space was open to hosting and “representation.”

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“I did not talk to anybody about relocating,” he said, adding that his comments to colleagues “were never ever intended to try and sway anything.”

“At no time did I ask that we change residences, and I think that’s an important point,” he continued. “This process has been going on for a long time … I made no direct complaint to the process.”

But his explanations did not sit well with NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice, who questioned why Clark had insisted in previous committee testimony that he had never spoken with anyone about the condo purchase.

“Why were you so categorical in this committee … that you hadn’t discussed with anyone about relocation?” he asked Clark, who was a longtime journalist before retiring and being appointed consul general to New York.

“When you say ‘I did not ask’ … for a move or a relocation, but then you make repeated comments to personnel that the residence isn’t appropriate, that the space isn’t suitable, that it isn’t good for family, that the furniture isn’t suitable, that there are accessibility issues, that can easily be interpreted as a desire to move,” he said.

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Clark answered that the process to relocate is “not in the hands” of the head of mission nor its staff but “entirely in the hands” of GAC headquarters in Ottawa.

“But when you respond to a question by my colleagues that ‘I had spoken to no one about this,’ you understand that we as Parliamentarians and as a committee feel like you’ve tried to mislead us,” Boulerice responded.

With additional reporting by Catherine Lévesque and Stephanie Taylor

National Post
cnardi@postmedia.com

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