Global Affairs Canada is refusing to disclose how much taxpayers will pay to reopen Canada's consulate in Phoenix, Arizona, despite a recent internal audit warning that the department's growing network of U.S. missions is becoming increasingly expensive.The Phoenix office officially reopened Thursday, 14 years after it was closed as part of a cost-saving effort. Officials offered no explanation for the reversal or the price tag associated with reopening the diplomatic post."This is a great day for Canada and our American friends," Liberal MP Ali Ehsassi, parliamentary secretary for Canada-U.S. trade, said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Global Affairs Canada said the new office demonstrates Canada's commitment to strengthening the North American economy.Before the reopening, consular services in Arizona were handled by honorary consul Glenn Williamson, a utility executive and co-founder of the Canada-Arizona Business Council, who received $27,000 annually for the part-time position.The department currently operates consulates and trade offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Palo Alto, in addition to Canada's embassy in Washington, D.C., which employs 324 staff.The decision comes months after an internal audit criticized the department's expanding U.S. operations. The review, released Feb. 6, found spending on American missions had climbed 13% since 2023, increasing from $117 million to $132 million last year.Auditors noted no previous comprehensive review of Canada's U.S. mission network had been conducted despite the size and cost of the operation.According to the audit, Canada's American network employs 486 staff, maintains 259 taxpayer-funded leased residences, 46 leased office buildings, 33 Crown-owned properties and a fleet of 42 vehicles."Canada maintains a large mission footprint in the United States requiring considerable effort and expenditures," auditors wrote.The largest Canadian consulate is in New York, where 111 employees are based..Access to Information records also show department officials were concerned about mounting political scrutiny following controversy over the purchase of an $8.8 million penthouse for Consul General Tom Clark, the former Global Television journalist.A Jan. 30 memorandum to the minister said Members of Parliament from multiple parties had criticized the purchase and warned that opposition MPs were expected to continue pressing for greater financial oversight and accountability.Last October, the House of Commons government operations committee recommended tighter controls over the department's foreign real estate holdings, urging Global Affairs Canada to conduct regular value-for-money reviews of its international property portfolio to identify opportunities for savings.
