Canadian taxpayers covered nearly $7,000 in travel costs for New York Consul Tom Clark’s four-day visit to Beverly Hills, despite federal pledges to reduce unnecessary government spending.
Blacklock's Reporter says records released through Access To Information reveal Clark stayed at the upscale Avalon Hotel, a favourite of Marilyn Monroe, during the trip, which included no formal business meetings.
Clark said the purpose of the March 2024 trip was to “collaborate with the Canadian Consulate General in Los Angeles on upcoming shared projects,” though no details of those projects were provided.
The Department of Foreign Affairs did not clarify why the collaboration could not have been done by phone or email.
The trip included a business class flight and accommodations totaling $6,950.
The Avalon Hotel charged approximately $418 per night.
Clark described the hotel as being in a “safe area of Los Angeles.”
Promotional material for the hotel calls it a “storied luxury boutique” once frequented by Hollywood legends like Marilyn Monroe and Desi Arnaz, with a dining room that offers Chardonnay for $127 a glass.
Receipts and schedules released to the public did not indicate what Clark or an unnamed guest did during the trip, which overlapped with the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival and a Madonna concert in nearby Inglewood.
The 2023 federal budget directive required departments to reduce discretionary travel as part of a broader $7.4 billion savings plan.
Then-Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the cuts were necessary to maintain a “fiscally responsible government,” though no net savings have yet been reported.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand at the time said the government would “refocus” spending on essential services.
“We are asking departments across the government to take a look at your expenditures and determine where there is a possibility to refocus that spending,” she told reporters.
Clark, a former television host, was appointed Consul in Manhattan in 2023 with an annual salary of $205,000.
He previously faced scrutiny from a Commons committee for approving the $8.8 million purchase of a luxury Central Park penthouse outfitted with a $4,600 coffeemaker, marble finishes, and monthly fees exceeding US$15,000.