OTTAWA — Canada’s Consul General in New York knew about the federal government’s decision to purchase a new residence, but was not involved in the decision to do so, an official with Global Affairs Canada testified on Thursday. A parliamentary committee is probing the department’s purchase of an almost $9-million luxury condo located on a famous slice of Manhattan real estate known as ‘Billionaires’ Row,’ to serve as the consul general’s new residence. The Opposition Conservatives have decried the purchase as excessive, given the cost-of-living anxieties faced by Canadians.
The party’s MPs also suggest the purchase of the new luxury condo was done to benefit the consul general himself, Tom Clark, a former political journalist who Conservatives MPs have labelled a “Liberal insider.” Department officials have said the purchase was the result of a process that predated Clark’s arrival to the post last year. They have said it began back in 2014, when problems with the existing residence, which was bought back in 1961, were first identified.
The decision to buy a new residence came after it was determined that spending $2.6 million on renovations would not have solved all of the issues, according to officials. Instead, the department said purchasing a new one represents a savings of around $7.
4 million, as it is also looking to sell the current one for $13 million. Conservative and NDP MPs on the committee had called to hear from Emily Nicholson, who serves.
