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. 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 doc.