NYC condo: Tories pledge to force Tom Clark testimony

Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett says his party will move a motion to force testimony from Canada’s representative in New York if he does not appear at a Tuesday committee study into the purchase of a $9-million condo in Manhattan.

Earlier this month, New York Consul General Tom Clark was invited to appear at Tuesday’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates.

But a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said in a statement to CTV News: “Consul General Clark is unavailable on the date initially proposed. However, he has indicated he is happy to attend, and work is underway with the committee to find an alternate date.”

The Conservatives say if Clark does not appear at tomorrow’s meeting, they will move a motion to force his testimony. 

“Mr. Clark needs to answer for what’s happening in New York City,” Barrett said in an interview with CTV News.

Barrett told CTV News he expects his parliamentary colleagues to support the summons motion. “The invitation to Mr. Clark was one that passed the committee, and so we expect that when Conservatives put forward a motion to formally summon Mr. Clark to appear that that will pass the committee and that it will be the first order of business that the committee is seized with.”

Conservative MP Michael Barrett awaits the start of a meeting of the Standing Committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

A formal committee summons would effectively force Clark’s appearance.

Last month, it was revealed Canada spent $9 million in June to buy a Manhattan luxury condo for the official residence of its consul general. Global Affairs Canada only admitted it was behind the purchase after New York-based publications, including the New York Post, reported the deal was done for King Charles III, as the deed for the property said it was sold to “His Majesty the King in right of Canada.”

The new condo is in Steinway Tower, a building known as the world’s thinnest skyscraper, and is just steps from Central Park. Charlotte MacLeod, a spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada, told CTV News the purchase would save Canadians millions of dollars, and renovating the old location would require “significant investments.”

“Considering the high renovation costs for the current residence and the value of the property, Global Affairs Canada recommended a relocation to a new, smaller, more suitable, and more economical apartment,” she said.

Stephane Cousineau, senior assistant deputy minister at Global Affairs, told members of Parliament last week that Clark did not influence the government’s decision to purchase the residence.

The previous listing, located on Park Avenue in Manhattan, was listed for sale Aug. 15 at more than $13 million. Barrett says the government made “a hurried push” to list the former residence and that it hasn’t found any potential buyers.

“It’s incredibly foolish for the government to take taxpayers’ money and put it all on the line and say, ‘Well, we’ve listed this for $13 million and, therefore, it justifies our $9-million purchase that we’ve already made,'” Barrett said.

Jonathan Miller, president and CEO of Miller Samuel Inc., and Thomas Aabo, a licensed real estate agent through Douglas Elliman Real Estate, are both scheduled to testify via video conference at Tuesday’s committee hearing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly appointed Clark as Canada’s consul general to New York in February 2023. Between the 1970s and 2017, he worked as a journalist, spending nearly 40 years with CTV News and six with Global News.

With files from The Canadian Press