OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly’s office says her former chief of staff never raised the issue of purchasing a new residence for Canada’s consul general in New York because it was not a matter that called for the minister to provide direction or make a decision.
Joly’s office confirmed to the National Post the minister found out about the purchase after it was first reported by the New York Post on July 12 that Global Affairs Canada bought a condo in the posh Manhattan district known as “Billionaires’ Row” for nearly $9 million to serve as the new residence for its consul general.
A spokesman says the update Global Affairs Canada provided to Peter Wilkinson, Joly’s then chief of staff back in June about the issue, “was part of a broader briefing covering a number of topics.”
“It was for information only as there was no decision needed or direction sought,” wrote director of communications James Fitz-Morris. “So, this wasn’t one of the items that was included in a briefing to the minister.”
Managing Canada’s diplomatic missions falls squarely within the mandate of the department, he added.
“As this move is resulting in significant net savings, it also falls within the direction given to the department to be responsible with resources.”
The Opposition Conservatives have decried the purchase as excessive, given the cost-of-living crisis Canadians are facing.
Its members of Parliament have also accused the Liberal government of doing so to benefit the consul general himself, former political journalist Tom Clark, and have lambasted the condo’s opulent finishes, such as a handcrafted copper soaking tub.
Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has vowed to “fire” Clark, should his party form the next government.
Officials from Global Affairs Canada say purchasing a new residence was necessary because the existing one on Fifth Avenue had longstanding issues that would not have been solved by renovations. It was last renovated in 1982.
The department pegged the cost of renovations at $2.6 million, an increase from the $1.8 million it initially estimated before the project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It says purchasing the new residence at 111 West 57th St., ultimately represents a cost savings of $7.4 million. The government is looking to sell its existing consulate for $13 million.
A parliamentary committee is studying the matter and is expecting to hear from Emily Nicholson, the department’s director and chief of staff, on Thursday.
Nicholson was among the officials involved in handling the fallout from when news of the pricey purchase made headlines.
Emails obtained by the National Post through federal access-to-information laws show Nicholson detailing to another executive in the department how the branch in charge of the purchase failed to mention that the nickname of its location was ‘Billionaires Row’ or provide a head’s up to department leaders.
Internal changes have since been made to promote better information sharing, the department confirms.
Documents tabled at the parliamentary committee studying the issue show how Nicholson emailed Wilkinson on June 17 with more information about the rationale behind the sale, which included the address of the new residence.
“During your Friday conversation with (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison) you requested an update and explanation as to the sale of the current official residence for the consulate in New York,” she wrote.
In response, Wilkinson wrote back: “The decision to sell and purchase a new residence seems the logical step to take in this instance.”
National Post
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