Poilievre vows to fire envoy as Canada buys a $9M condo for diplomat in NYC
CTV
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to fire Canada’s consul general in New York City if the Tories wins the next federal election.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to fire Canada’s consul general in New York City if the Tories wins the next federal election.
In a post on social media, Poilievre called the former journalist, Tom Clark, a Liberal media hack in response to the government’s decision to buy a $9-million condominium in Manhattan.
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) confirms the department purchased a unit in the Steinway Tower located at 111 West 57th St., in an area known as “billionaire’s row.” The condo will be used for “networking receptions, official briefings, and hospitality events such as discussions with business and political leaders,” wrote Global Affairs spokesperson Jean-Pierre Godbout.
GAC adds the current residence, located at 550 Park Ave. in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighbourhood, was last renovated in 1982 and does not meet new building codes nor standards of the department. Citing significant investments needed to modernize the property, the department “recommended a relocation to a new, smaller, more suitable, and more economical apartment,” Godbout told CTV News.
Godbout says the move could save Canadian taxpayers more than $2 million as well as reduce ongoing maintenance and property taxes.
According to a listing on the real estate website StreetEasy, the 3,600-square foot residence boasts three bedrooms, four bathrooms and “stunning powder room is finished in jewel onyx.” A level of luxury that Conservative Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman calls tone deaf in the current housing crisis, “I think a lot of Canadians are looking that are looking to this, and they say they need a residence too, and they need somewhere to rent and $9 million on an apartment at a time in at a time where Canadians can't afford to eat or house themselves, I say again, is outrageous.”
Despite that criticism and expense of having a Manhattan residence, former diplomat and current Sen. Peter Boehm points out it’s an important place for Canada to promote its culture and trade. “If you want to play in the big leagues, you have to pay to some degree," Boehm told CTV News in an interview.
