Taxpayer-funded luxury homes and vacant land purchases questioned by advocacy group
Canadian taxpayers are raising concerns after a new report by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) revealed that Global Affairs Canada has spent $186 million over the past decade on overseas real estate.
The department’s acquisitions include luxury residences, vacant land, and properties in politically unstable regions.
Among the most controversial purchases is a $9-million luxury condo in New York for Consul General Tom Clark, according to records obtained by CTF. The purchase comes amidst a domestic housing crisis, leaving many Canadians questioning the priorities of government spending.
The condo is just one of more than 400 properties owned by Global Affairs Canada. The department has also spent $38.4 million on official residences since 2014, with other high-ticket purchases in:
- New Zealand: $2.4 million
- Barbados: $3.8 million
- Trinidad and Tobago: $2.5 million
- London, UK: $58 million spent on 23 staff accommodations since 2015.
“Do we really need the government dropping tens of millions of dollars on official residences half-way around the world?” CTF federal director Franco Terrazzano said in a statement. “Better question, does Senegal not have vacant land available for less than eight figures?
“With the government more than $1 trillion in debt, taxpayers need to know why the government is spending so much of our money overseas.”
Global Affairs also reportedly spent $41 million on three properties in Kabul, Afghanistan, between 2018 and 2019. These assets were abandoned to the Taliban after Canada withdrew its presence in August 2021.
The department acknowledged that they have been unable to inspect the properties since the withdrawal.
“We have… been unable to inspect the state of these properties since that date,” Global Affairs Canada told the CTF in a statement.
CTF argued the purchases lacked foresight, especially as US negotiations with the Taliban for troop withdrawal had already begun at the time.
“This is a lot of taxpayers’ money to spend on new property in Afghanistan when our ally had already been clear it was preparing to leave,” Terrazzano said. “Canadian taxpayers are out $41 million and the Taliban now has new digs, so is anyone in government going to answer for the decision to purchase these properties?”
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In 2022, Global Affairs Canada spent $12.5 million on vacant land in Senegal, a decision that Terrazzano called excessive.
“Why are we spending eight figures on empty land? Someone needs to explain how this benefits Canadians,” he said.
Other acquisitions include a $10.2 million chancery in Kyiv, Ukraine, and numerous properties across the globe. In total, the department owns more than 400 properties in over 70 countries.
“Global Affairs Canada’s real estate portfolio is bloated and the taxpayer tab is ludicrous,” Terrazzano said. “Someone in government must explain what value taxpayers are supposedly getting for the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on all these lavish properties in far flung countries.
“And if Canadians aren’t getting real value, then it’s time to sell off properties so taxpayers can recoup some of this money.”
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