He absolutely has a point, Mr. Chair. I acknowledge his point.
I acknowledge again for those watching how thin-skinned he is.
I'll go back to the Leader of the Opposition, who lives in a mansion of sorts. We talk about transparency and accountability and the ability to come down to the truth. Mr. Chair, the member opposite is doing his Perry Mason reboot: The truth must be known. Yet, the leader of his own party will not get a security clearance to get to the truth, or at least be made aware of exactly what has taken place.
Now I'll go to the motion at hand. Here we have allegations being made by the Conservatives that this decision was done in quick order.
It wasn't, Mr. Chair. We already know from previous testimonies by the officials that this has been ongoing for over 10 years. The Conservative members, their Conservative appointees, the ones who were there prior to the Liberal appointments, they themselves said that the residence was not up to snuff, that it didn't have the specifications required. They already acknowledged that the residence was in need of repair and, for that matter, a new residence....
This is not new. There's no revelation here. There's the notion that somehow the consul general, on a temporary appointment in New York, is going to make the decision. We often hear people's opinions. My goodness, we're hearing lots of opinions right now from the opposite side, and they're free to express them. However, that doesn't make them the decision-maker. The consul general is not the decision-maker of this transaction.
If anybody wants to make opinions, and certainly the Conservatives have had many opinions about that residence prior to Tom Clark.... This is nothing new.
The fact of the matter is that the decision to make that transaction is $7 million less.... They're moving the residence to a property at $7 million less than what it is now, and we still hold the asset value. We still have the asset appreciation of the former residence in hand, and they're making it for the net benefit of Canadians.
We already know that it's ultimately going to save taxpayers up to $7 million. We already know, by testimony and by the rigorous procedures in place over many years from the various agencies, that it was independent, rigorous, and that it followed the rules. The essence of who's residing there and the people involved who utilize those residences, including many Conservatives, I may add, didn't come to be part of that decision. They did not follow through in that transaction. That was done by the experts and the officials within government. That's already acknowledged and understood.
Lastly, the relationship with the United States is critical. One of Canada's most important residences in the United States is the one in Manhattan. It is critical to its well-being. The ones in L.A. and Washington are important. The ability for Canada to be well represented on the international stage is critical.
When you look at who else is residing around the system, ours does not come anywhere close to the same degree of value as some other residences. What is really important is the ability for Canadians to transact, to have meetings, to enable us to co-operate with the U.S. and other international states within that residence for the benefit of all Canadians. It leads to economic growth. It leads to job creation. It leads to economic well-being for Canada. It has proven to be so.
Other levels of government use it too—other Conservative levels of government. The allegation, the notion, that this consul general somehow had a role in making a decision, regardless if the decision isn't his.... That's understood. The timing wasn't short.
All that to say, Mr. Chair, we do not need to fill time. We'll let you guys talk and fill your egos all you wish.