'Keep your bags packed': Consul general grilled over $9M NYC condo purchase

Consul general to New York Tom Clark says he had “no role whatsoever” in the purchase of his new official residence in Manhattan that cost $9 million and sparked political attention over the summer.

“I had no role whatsoever in either deciding to sell the former residence or buying the new one. That was completely undertaken by the property bureau in Ottawa,” Clark testified to a House of Commons committee on Thursday. “I was not involved in the selection of the new property, its amenities or its location.”

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This is the first time Canadians are hearing from Clark after reports emerged in July that the federal government had bought a new piece of luxury real estate for him to live in. The condo is at Steinway Tower, known as the world's thinnest skyscraper and located on "Billionaire's Row" in Manhattan.

The federal government has said Canada's former Manhattan residence was last renovated in 1982 and required significant upgrades that were estimated to cost $2.6 million. Officials have also contended that buying the new residence will save Canadian taxpayers millions of dollars and reduce maintenance costs.

But the Conservatives have argued that the new condo is another example of the Liberal government putting its elite friends before Canadians. On Thursday, testimony between Clark and Conservative members of the committee got heated at times.

“Did you ever take a moment, as someone who spent a career in journalism, to question the prime minister or anyone on the opulence of this location amid the backdrop of the cost of living crisis that we're facing here in Canada?” Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett asked Clark on Thursday.

“I am well aware of the challenges being faced by both Canadians and Americans when it comes to housing,” Clark responded. “In this case, I was not involved in any way shape or form in the decision to buy this new residence or sell the old residence.”

Barrett later told Clark to “keep your bags packed in that new place. Conservatives are going to fire you.”

MPs also repeatedly pushed Clark on his potential involvement in the purchase.

Conservative MP Larry Brock referred to an internal email between Global Affairs Canada officials dated on June 17 that said Clark was “instrumental throughout this process” and gave “the greenlight for the selection of the new residence.”

“It is in writing by the department. Tom Clark, you sir, were instrumental in the condo purchase on billionaire’s row,” Brock said.

In response, Clark said the email was wrong and was written by someone who was not involved in the process.

“I only became aware of this email less than 48 hours ago. I too was taken aback by what was in it because it was simply wrong,” Clark said. 

The opposition also pushed Clark on a visit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made to New York City in April 2023.

“When did you first bring (the residence) up with the Prime Minister?” Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie asked Clark. “The chronological timeline would definitely indicate that you had conversations with the Prime Minister about the residence.”

Clark responded to the accusation, saying “unequivocally, no.”

“It's completely wrong. I never spoke with the prime minister about the old residence or the new residence or any residence.”

Kusie then fought back, saying “why don’t we just stop the lying.”

“When we get to the point of accusing people of lying, I think that we are in very, very dangerous territory here,” Clark responded.

In his testimony, Clark also described the role and importance of the official residence of the consul general of New York, saying he has hosted 38 events there since he was appointed in February 2023.

“I think that we have to understand that while our friends are our friends in the G20 and the G7, they're also our competitors here in places like New York,” Clark said. “They're after the same pie that I'm after.”

In August, a senior Global Affairs Canada official told MPs that Clark had no influence on the government’s decision to buy the new property.

"There was no influence from Mr. Clark. He was not involved in the consultation or decision process," senior assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs Canada Stéphane Cousineau told the committee on Aug. 22.

Clark was invited to appear on Aug. 26, but Global Affairs Canada told CTV News then that he was “unavailable on the date initially proposed.”

On Thursday, Clark clarified that he was not able to testify in August because he was on leave to spend time with his family.

The committee also passed a motion on Thursday to call upon Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to testify on the matter before Thanksgiving.

The former official residence is currently listed for $13 million.

Clark was appointed Canada’s consul general in New York in 2023. He previously worked for more than forty years as a broadcast journalist for several organizations, including CTV News and Global News.

With files from CTV News' Rachel Aiello