Spending at Canadian diplomatic offices across the United States climbed sharply during Mélanie Joly’s tenure as foreign minister.Blacklock's Reporter says newly released federal audit shows costs rose 13% to more than $130 million as departments continued paying American consultants to shape Canada’s messaging.An internal Department of Foreign Affairs review said no U.S. mission had ever been audited before, calling the examination overdue. The report found spending across 15 consulates, trade offices and the Canadian Embassy in Washington increased year over year without a clear explanation.“Mission expenditures have steadily increased from $117 million in 2023 to $132 million in 2025,” auditors wrote, noting the $15‑million jump represented a 13% rise. The report, Audit Of U.S. Mission Network, did not identify a specific cause for the higher costs.The network included 486 employees, 259 taxpayer‑funded residential leases, 46 leased offices, 33 Crown‑owned offices and a fleet of 42 vehicles. “Canada maintains a large mission footprint in the United States requiring considerable effort and expenditures,” the audit said..Canadian diplomatic offices operate in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington. The largest operations were the Washington embassy with 324 staff and the New York consulate with 111.Joly frequently described her department’s U.S. strategy as unparalleled. In 2024 she told reporters Canada was “unique in the world” in its understanding of the United States and claimed extensive personal contact with senior figures in the Trump administration.Despite those claims, diplomats acknowledged they relied on U.S. consultants to advance Canadian interests. The Canadian Embassy hired advisors at US$2,000 per hour last August 19 for “workshops on adapting messaging on key issues to Canada.” The Canada School of Public Service followed a day later, spending $177,000 on an American consultant to provide guidance on “how Washington works.”Joly’s own Department of Industry issued a notice to U.S. contractors on September 18 seeking help with “a fundamental rethink” of Canada‑U.S. relations. “The Minister and senior Department of Industry officials require current intelligence and support on U.S. political, economic, technology and trade dynamics,” the notice said.
