New York-based Canadian Consul Tom Clark charged taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars for activities that had little connection to his official mandate of promoting Canadian trade, according to documents obtained through Access To Information.
Blacklock's Reporter says despite telling a Commons committee last November that his mission was centered on “partnerships with American business,” records show Clark spent public funds on trips to Bermuda, private luncheons at his Park Avenue penthouse, and cultural events loosely tied to his official role.
Clark submitted $39,595 in known expenses across 932 pages of filings, though several entries were redacted as “personal information” while still being billed to taxpayers.
Among the costs were $9,555 in travel to Bermuda, including a $503 lunch described as an effort to “learn more about Bermudan high school culture.”
In another instance, Clark hosted a $1,827 seafood luncheon with directors of the Museum of the American Indian, justifying the event as a conversation about “indigenous art in general” and Canada’s support for it.
He also billed $1,920 for a three-course lunch with wine at his residence to talk about daycare — guest names were censored from public records.
“The objective was to meet with colleagues in the territory of the Canadian Consulate in New York who have expressed interest in discussing affordable childcare,” he noted.
Another catered lunch at his penthouse to examine “how generative artificial intelligence will impact democracy” was canceled without explanation. The catering cost of $1,863 still went through.
Additional expenses seemingly unrelated to U.S. business outreach included:
$259 for schnitzel and espresso with an unnamed podcaster to “discuss Canadian culture”;
$1,382 for a staff Christmas party “to show appreciation for their hard work”;
$1,618 for travel to Ottawa for “a dinner on the occasion of the visit to Canada of Joseph Biden”;
$1,912 for a separate Ottawa trip to attend the Politics And The Pen gala.
During his Commons appearance, Clark insisted his office was devoted to trade.
“We are at a point when defending, protecting and promoting Canada’s interests in the United States means all hands on deck,” he said.
“Our objective right now is to talk to as many people as we possibly can in the United States.”
He described his region as crucial for Canada:
“In four of the five states I’m responsible for, Canada is the number one customer. It’s far above and beyond any other customer in the world.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the spending. Clark has called the New York post “one of Canada’s most important missions” globally.
