An internal Global Affairs Canada email suggesting Canada’s consul general in New York was directly involved in the purchase of a $9 million luxury apartment in the city was false, a committee of parliamentarians said Thursday. did.
Emily Nicholson, a staff member at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), told MPs that the email she sent to the minister’s office on June 17 was written “primarily” to quickly summarize the process of selling the former official residence for the consul general. He said that this was not part of the purchasing process for the new official residence. One.
The initial outline said that consular staff and Consul General Tom Clark had been “uncomplicated throughout this process” and that Clark himself had given the “green light for the selection of a new home.” Nicholson said her summary was incorrect and confused some details.
“The word ‘green light’ meant a thumbs up,” Nicholson said. “It was just to let the consul general know that we are aware of the inconvenience of traveling in the middle of a mission and that we are prepared to deal with it.”
Nicholson said he was summarizing information he received from other GAC officials and said that while consulate officials were cooperative, Clark wanted to say he was just aware of the process.
“In hindsight, more accurate wording could have been used to avoid misunderstandings. That clarification was given on July 25,” she said.
Since the purchase of the apartment became public in July, it has been criticized by Conservative MPs as being too extravagant given the cost of living challenges facing Canadians.
Conservative MPs say the purchase was made to provide perks to Clark, a veteran broadcaster whom Conservatives refer to as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “media buddy,” and that he will help select his new official residence. He has repeatedly claimed that he was involved in
GAC officials previously told the commission that Clark was not involved in the sale or purchase of the apartments. He also said the five-bedroom apartment at 550 Park Avenue, which had been his official residence since 1961, was no longer suitable and needed to be sold.
Nicholson said Thursday that her first email was created following a June 14 request from Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly’s office. Ms Nicholson said the initial email was only intended to provide a “brief” summary. She told MPs that after the document was sent, the minister’s office requested a more detailed outline of the process, which she provided on July 25.
That summary, also written by Nicholson, included a different explanation of Clark’s role. He said he “did not direct this process” and was “not involved in the entire process or the selection or approval process for purchasing the property.”
Opposition members on the committee did not accept Ms Nicholson’s interpretation and suggested her second memo was an attempt at a cover-up.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett suggested the timing of the second memo, the day after the committee voted to hold a public hearing on the apartment purchase, was questionable.
“I’ll have to elaborate, ma’am. The timeline is very interesting,” Barrett said.
Nicholson said the drafting process for the July 25 memo has been underway for some time and was not initiated in response to the committee vote.
When asked how long it took her to draft the second memo, or when she was asked to do it by the minister’s office, she could not give an exact date, but said that it was necessary for the committee to promised to obtain the information.
Bloc MP Julie Vignola told Nicholson that her explanation left the impression that she was “talking to someone who is covering up other people and covering up other people’s mistakes”.
“Honestly, I hope not,” she added. “If that’s the case, I think it’s really unfortunate, but I’d like to ask you a question: Are you replacing someone?”
Ms Nicholson claimed that was not the case, and that the information she provided in the original email was incorrect.
NDP MP Taylor Bachrach told Nicholson that she gave “frustrating testimony” and that her “somewhat unbelievable” words appeared to be “an attempt to construct a narrative.” Ta.
“To be honest, Mr. Nicholson, I have a hard time believing what you’re saying,” Mr. Bachrach said. “What you’re saying is that you’ve mischaracterized something that appears to be characterized in a very specific way.”
Conservative MP Stephanie Cusey said: ‘I am deeply concerned that you have changed this email and appear to have lied about changing the terminology in the email. It is clear that this is not sincere.”
Mr Nicholson defended Mr Clarke, saying he had no involvement in the purchase of the new home and was merely blurting his words.
She also said Clark didn’t even see the new apartment until the seller accepted GAC’s purchase offer.
