An email alleging that Canada’s consul general in New York was involved in the purchase of a $9 million luxury apartment in the city was improperly worded, a Global Affairs official told MPs on the government operations committee. The committee has been investigating the federal government’s decision to sell the original New York residence that formerly housed its consul general to purchase a $9 million Manhattan condo in an area of the city known as “Billionaire’s Row.” Conservative MPs have argued the purchase was inappropriate at a time when Canadians are facing a cost-of-living crisis, and have questioned whether Consul General Tom Clark was involved in the purchase.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) official Emily Nicholson told the committee on Oct. 3 that when she wrote a June 17 email for the minister’s office summarizing the sale of the old official residence for the consul general, she did so in a way that was not clear. The summary stated that Clark and the consulate staff had been “instrumental throughout this process” and that Clark had given “the greenlight for the selection of the new residence.
” Nicholson said she had failed to differentiate between the role of the mission employees and Clark, and her use of the word “greenlight” was intended to say that Clark was merely “aware of and prepared to deal with the hassle of moving part way through his assignment.” “The email did not state that the consul general was involved in the decision.
