Connect with us
[the_ad id="89560"]

National

Trudeau’s $9 Million Condo Scandal: Elites Party in New York While Canadians Struggle at Home

Published

9 minute read

The Opposition with Dan Knight

From The Opposition News Network

By Dan Knight

It’s no secret that Justin Trudeau and his Liberal cronies love to live large. But this latest scandal? It’s a new low, even for them. We’re talking about a $9 million luxury condo—yes, you heard that right—on Billionaire’s Row in New York City, bought for a Trudeau-appointed diplomat while millions of Canadians are barely scraping by.

What’s worse? Trudeau himself seems to be right at the heart of this.

Let’s break down the facts that emerged during Meeting No. 137 of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO), and you’ll see exactly how Trudeau’s government, under the watchful eye of his loyal minister Mélanie Jolie, pulled this off.

The Timeline of Trudeau’s Elitist Condo Scheme:

1. February 2023: Tom Clark, a former journalist and long-time friend of the Liberal elites, is appointed by Trudeau’s government as Consul General in New York. A cozy appointment, no doubt, for someone with deep ties to the Liberal establishment.

2. April 27, 2023: The Prime Minister himself—yes, Justin Trudeau—drops by Clark’s old New York residence for a dinner. Imagine the wine flowing and the conversation going, all while the rest of Canada is dealing with a collapsing economy, skyrocketing inflation, and an ongoing housing crisis.

3. April 28, 2023: The very next day, Trudeau and Clark are seen together in a motorcade cruising the streets of New York City. What exactly were they discussing? A new condo perhaps? It’s hard to believe that this kind of luxury real estate plan wasn’t at least mentioned during their cozy ride.

4. Spring/Summer 2023: Global Affairs Canada—overseen by Trudeau’s trusted Minister Jolie—suddenly identifies problems with the old residence. That’s right, just a few months after Trudeau’s visit, the decision is made to start looking for a new, more luxurious residence. Coincidence? Hardly.

5. April 17, 2024: An email from Global Affairs states that Tom Clark was instrumental in giving the green light for the purchase of the $9 million condo. The deal is pushed through, and the taxpayer is stuck with the bill.

6. July 12, 2024: The media finally breaks the story about the purchase of the $9 million luxury condo on Billionaire’s Row, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in New York. Public outrage begins to grow as details about this opulent purchase come to light.

7. July 25, 2024: A bogus correction is issued by Global Affairs, claiming that Tom Clark was not involved in the purchase. Conveniently, this correction comes one day after this very committee ordered documents on Clark’s involvement. Sound fishy? It should.

Clark’s Cozy Deal and Trudeau’s Role

Here’s what we know: Trudeau’s government made a $9 million purchase for Tom Clark, a man with deep ties to the Liberals, shortly after Trudeau himself visited Clark’s old residence. Now, emails show Clark was directly involved in the decision to buy the new place, but when he appeared before the committee, he suddenly couldn’t remember any involvement. Instead, he passed the blame onto Global Affairs Canada.

Now, here’s where it gets worse. Documents show that Clark was instrumental in the decision to buy this opulent residence. Emails from within Minister Mélanie Joly’s own department reveal that Clark himself gave the “green light” on the purchase. But when Clark appeared before the committee, he suddenly had a case of selective amnesia, denying any involvement in the decision. According to him, it was all Global Affairs Canada’s doing. He claims he was just an innocent bystander, touring the property “out of curiosity.”

Are we really supposed to believe that? This is a man who, for decades, worked in media and is well-versed in how power operates. The idea that Clark wasn’t aware of the optics or didn’t say a word when shown this mansion is laughable. What’s even more convenient is that a “correction” from Global Affairs magically appeared one day after the committee requested documents about Clark’s involvement. They want us to believe that all of this is just a coincidence, a bureaucratic hiccup. Sure.

But let’s not forget who runs Global Affairs—none other than Minister Mélanie Jolie, one of Trudeau’s closest allies. Jolie has twice appointed Clark to key roles: once as head of an advisory committee recommending appointments to CBC, and then again as Consul General in New York. And it’s Jolie’s department that now seems to be covering for Clark in this scandal, issuing a correction that conveniently contradicts their own internal emails.

So, who’s responsible? The buck stops with Minister Jolie—and ultimately with Justin Trudeau.

The Real Problem: Trudeau’s Elitism and Out-of-Touch Government

While Tom Clark is now enjoying his luxurious $9 million condo—complete with swimming lanes, golf simulators, and some of the most expensive appliances money can buy—ordinary Canadians are lining up at food banks, barely making rent, and trying to survive in Trudeau’s broken economy.

Let’s break down just how absurd this situation is: for this $9 million palace, Clark pays a laughable $1,800 a month. Meanwhile, the actual cost of living in a place like that? Around $42,000 a month. The difference? You, the Canadian taxpayer, are picking up the tab for Clark’s personal playground while you struggle to pay your bills.

And let’s be clear: Clark wasn’t some innocent bystander in this. He toured the condo, saw the luxury, and didn’t once think to say, “Hey, maybe this is too much, especially when people back home can’t even afford to live.” Why? Because this is the Trudeau mindset. The elites deserve the best, and the rest of us? We can pay for it.

Why Jolie Must Testify

This scandal goes straight to the top. Mélanie Jolie must come before the committee and explain how her department managed to spend $9 million on a condo for one of Trudeau’s buddies. She needs to answer for the emails that say Clark was involved, even though they’re now trying to claim he wasn’t. And, most of all, she needs to explain why this government continues to indulge its inner circle while Canadians suffer.

It’s time for real accountability. Trudeau and his ministers cannot continue to dodge these scandals, pretending like they have no part in the decisions being made. Minister Jolie needs to testify, and the Canadian public deserves answers. After all, you’re the ones paying for it.

This isn’t just about one condo; it’s about a government that’s lost touch with reality, that believes it can spend your money however it likes, with no consequences. The Liberals claim to care about the middle class, but when it comes down to it, they’re more interested in living large—and making sure their friends do too.

Minister Jolie, it’s time to step up and explain why you let this happen. Canadians are watching.

You can subscribe for free to The Opposition with Dan Knight, but for the full experience, you’ll need to upgrade your subscription.

Subscribe to The Opposition with Dan Knight

espionage

Breaking: P.E.I. Urges RCMP Probe of Alleged Foreign Interference, Money Laundering

Published on

The Great Enlightment Buddhist Academy, PEI

Sam Cooper's avatar Sam Cooper

Prince Edward Island’s government has formally asked the RCMP to investigate allegations of foreign interference and money laundering tied to Buddhist-affiliated organizations operating in the province — an escalation that follows The Bureau’s reporting and last week’s press conference on Parliament Hill calling for a federal public inquiry.

In a letter sent today to RCMP Commissioner Michael Duheme, Premier Rob Lantz and Minister of Housing Cory Deagle urge federal authorities to “review any evidence available, engage with the individuals who have made these claims, and conduct an investigation into any wrongdoing.” A companion letter was sent to FINTRAC, asking Canada’s financial intelligence unit to assess whether regulatory action is warranted.

The government move comes a week after The Bureau reported on findings presented at an October 8 news conference tied to the book Canada Under Siege: How P.E.I. Became a Forward Operating Base for the Chinese Communist Party.

In a following op-ed, co-author Garry Clement said the press conference had “set down a marker: Canada has entered a new era of contestation — over influence, sovereignty, and the integrity of its democratic institutions.” In related coverage by CBC, representatives of the religious groups have denied any links to the Chinese Communist Party or any improper dealings.

Clement and co-authors argued that the allegations demand “action, reform, and reckoning,” and called for a federal public inquiry with full powers — an appeal joined by former Solicitor General and long-time P.E.I. MP Wayne Easter, who urged an inquiry capable of compelling testimony and documents.

The Bureau also revealed a development that stunned Islanders: a response subpoenaed by P.E.I. lawmakers showed that an anticipated 2016–2018 Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission (IRAC) investigation into Buddhist-linked land holdings was never completed. A January 26, 2018 letter from IRAC’s appointed counsel notified firms representing the groups that the section 15 probe “has ended,” without public findings or any explanation of who ordered the closure or why. The disclosure raised fresh questions about oversight and potential conflicts, and now forms part of the backdrop to the province’s formal request for federal action.

The Bureau contacted IRAC last week with questions related to the agency’s management, including counsel relationships and prior positions within P.E.I. legal networks. New developments on this breaking story will be reported.

Today’s letter to RCMP Commissioner Duheme from the P.E.I. government explicitly references the October 8 statements by a former Solicitor General of Canada and a former RCMP Superintendent, noting it was “suggested that information exists that could provide grounds for a criminal investigation.” The Premier further flags assertions that P.E.I. has been used as “a forward operating base for the Chinese Communist Party,” calling the claim “serious” and stating it must be examined by federal agencies to determine whether any factual basis exists.

The province also points to what it describes as a newly mandated and ongoing investigation by IRAC into land holdings “associated with some of the same entities referenced in the public allegations,” using powers expanded in 2022 under the Lands Protection Act. Any findings with criminal or national-security implications, the letter says, will be referred to federal authorities.

The Bureau is a reader-supported publication.

To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

 

Continue Reading

Business

Major Projects Office Another Case Of Liberal Political Theatre

Published on

From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy

By Lee Harding

Ottawa’s Major Projects Office is a fix for a mess the Liberals created—where approval now hinges on politics, not merit.

They are repeating their same old tricks, dressing up political favouritism as progress instead of cutting barriers for everyone

On Sept. 11, the Prime Minister’s Office announced five projects being examined by its Major Projects Office, all with the potential to be fast-tracked for approval and to get financial help. However, no one should get too excited. This is only a bad effort at fixing what government wrecked.

During the Trudeau years, and since, the Liberals have created a regulatory environment so daunting that companies need a trump card to get anything done. That’s why the Major Projects Office (MPO) exists.

“The MPO will work to fast-track nation-building projects by streamlining regulatory assessment and approvals and helping to structure financing, in close partnership with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples and private investors,” explains a government press release.

Canadians must not be fooled. A better solution would be to create a regulatory and tax environment where these projects can meet market demand through private investment. We don’t have that in Canada, which is why money has fled the country and our GDP growth per capita is near zero.

Instead of this less politicized and more even-handed approach, the Liberals have found a way to make their cabinet the only gatekeepers able to usher someone past the impossible process they created. Then, having done so, they can brag about what “they” got done.

The Fraser Institute has called out this system for its potential to incentivize bribes and kickbacks. The Liberals have such a track record of handing out projects and even judicial positions to their friends that such scenarios become easier to believe. Innumerable business groups will be kissing up to the Liberals just to get anything major done.

The government has created the need for more of itself, and it is following up in every way it can. Already, the federal government has set up offices across Canada for people to apply for such projects. Really? Anyone with enough dollars to pursue a major project can fly to Ottawa to make their pitch.

No, this is as much about the show as it is about results—and probably much more. It is all too reminiscent of another big-sounding, mostly ineffective program the Liberal government rolled out in 2017. They announced a $950-million Innovation Superclusters Initiative “designed to help strengthen Canada’s most promising clusters … while positioning Canadian firms for global leadership.”

That program allowed any company in the world to participate, with winners getting matching dollars from taxpayers for their proposals. (But all for the good of Canada, we were told.) More than 50 applications were made for these sweepstakes, which included more than 1,000 businesses and 350 other participants. In Trudeau Liberal fashion, every applicant had to articulate how their proposal would increase female jobs and leadership and encourage diversity in the long term.

The entire process was like one big Dragon’s Den series. The Liberals trotted out a list of contestants full of nice-sounding possibilities, with maximum hype and minimal reality. Late in the process, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains picked the nine finalists himself (all based in cities with a Liberal MP), from which five would be chosen.

The alleged premise was to leverage local and regional commercial clusters, but that soon proved ridiculous. The “Clean, Low-energy, Effective and Remediated Supercluster” purported to power clean growth in mining in Ontario, Quebec and Vancouver. Not to be outdone, the “Mobility Systems and Technologies for the 21st Century Supercluster” included all three of these locations, plus Atlantic Canada. They were only clustered by their tendency to vote Liberal.

Today, the MPO repeats this virtue-signalling, politicking, drawn-out, tax-dollar-spending drama. The Red Chris Mine expansion in northwest British Columbia is one of the proposals under consideration. It would be done in conjunction with the Indigenous Tahltan Nation and is supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent. That’s right up the Liberal alley.

Meanwhile, the project is somehow part of a proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor that would cordon off an area the size of Greece from development. Is this economic growth or economic prohibition? This approach is more like the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 than it is nation-building. And it is more like the World Economic Forum’s “stakeholder capitalism” approach than it is free enterprise.

At least there are two gems among the five proposals. One is to expand capacity at the Port of Montreal, and another is to expand the Canada LNG facility in Kitimat, B.C. Both have a market case and clear economic benefits.

Even here, Canadians must ask themselves, why must the government use a bulldozer to get past the red tape it created? Why not cut the tape for everyone? The Liberals deserve little credit for knocking down a door they barred themselves.

Lee Harding is a research fellow for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Continue Reading

Trending

X