Conservative MPs want Tom Clark to answer more questions about $9M condo purchase

Conservative MPs want New York Consul General Tom Clark to appear again before a parliamentary committee after the release of documents that show he expressed concerns about the suitability of his official residence in the city.

Since the purchase of the new $9 million luxury apartment became public in July, the acquisition has been criticized by opposition MPs as overly lavish in light of the cost of living challenges facing Canadians.

MPs have been probing the purchase for months. They've spoken to real estate experts, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) staff and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, who appeared before the committee Tuesday. 

The committee has heard that the apartment, which will serve as the new official residence for the consul general of Canada in New York, is 50 per cent cheaper to run annually and cost $4 million less than the old residence, which recently was listed for sale.

Clark said 'the unit was not suitable': GAC documents

During Clark's appearance in September, he said he "had no role whatsoever in either deciding to sell the former residence or buying the new one" and that all decisions were "completely undertaken by the property bureau in Ottawa."

Clark appeared at the committee after Stéphane Cousineau, a senior assistant deputy minister at GAC, told MPs that the decision to buy a new official residence was "policy compliant, well-documented and exempt from any influence, including from Mr. Clark."

Those statements appear to contradict a report by Politico, published Tuesday, that cited a GAC document from May 2023 obtained through access to information law.

"The current [consul general of New York] expressed concerns regarding the completion of the … kitchen and refurbishment project and indicated that the unit was not suitable to be the [the consul's] accommodations," says the document, which has been seen by CBC News.

The document also says the current consul indicated that the old residence did not "have an ideal floor plan" for "representational activities." Clark became consul general in New York in February 2023.

Conservative MPs on the committee moved a motion to have Clark appear again to answer questions about the May 2023 document; the committee hearing was adjourned before a vote could be held.  Debate on the motion is expected to be resumed when the committee meets next.

Earlier in the day, Joly said she had no involvement in the decision to buy a new official residence in Manhattan and only learned of the acquisition through media reports.

Joly was not required to sign off on the purchase because Treasury Board rules only require her approval when a residence is purchased for more than $10 million.

GAC officials said the old old Park Avenue apartment, which was purchased in 1961, had last been refurbished in 1982 and was in need of an update.

The department said modernizing the old apartment to meet current accessibility and building standards would have cost $2.6 million. Officials also told the committee that the condo board at the Park Avenue residence was unhappy with the official functions being held in the apartment.

GAC officials told the committee in August that the decision to buy a new residence will save taxpayers more than $7 million over the lifetime of the unit because it was cheaper to buy and has lower operating costs.

CBC News has reached out to Clark's office in New York but has yet to receive a response.

GAC told CBC News that the process to replace the official residence in New York began in 2014 and that as part of the regular consultation process, "the mission provided input regarding the suitability of the Park Avenue residence for operational use.

"However, this input did not influence the final decision to relocate the residence."