U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says American officials are “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of election interference ahead of pivotal midterm elections next month.
During an interview on “The Really Big Show” podcast that was posted last week, Hoekstra said political ads run by the province of Ontario last year could be interpreted as political interference.
U.S. President Donald Trump ended trade talks with Canada in October 2025 after Ontario aired an ad during the World Series using clips of former U.S. president Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs and supporting free trade.
Hoekstra also cited recent comments by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and former prime minister Justin Trudeau and suggested they also could amount to interference.
Hoekstra went on to warn Canadian politicians to keep their “nose out” of American politics in the weeks before the midterm elections.
Trudeau criticized the Trump administration during a discussion at Brown University on Sept. 22.
“There is a pattern here of doing things that are driving up prices for your consumers and not necessarily making anything better for America, by fighting with one of your oldest and best allies,” Trudeau said during the conversation.
In the interview, Hoekstra said Joly made comments about targeting retaliatory tariffs at “politically sensitive states.”
Joly pushed back Wednesday, telling reporters Canada would never engage in election interference and would “never accept that also being done to us in Canada.”
Joly said she has been to the U.S. in recent months and has met with Democrats and Republicans.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says Canada would never interfere in U.S. elections. Her comments came after U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said Canadians should keep their noses out of American politics during the congressional midterms. (Oct. 14, 2026)
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“Fundamentally, what I’ve done in the U.S. is to attract investments,” she said. “I think I’ll be able to have good news of investments by different American companies to Canada. And that’s exactly what I’m doing and that will continue to be my strategy in the U.S. and also around the world.”
Hoekstra said if any actions by Canadians end up amounting to election interference, the United States will respond.
The ambassador declined a request from The Canadian Press for an interview.
Tension between the United States and Canada has increased since Trump won the presidential election in 2024, and began threatening to turn Canada into the 51st state.
That threat, and his attacks on Canada, have become a focal point of his stump speeches as he actively campaigns in battleground states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which could end Republican control over Congress.
At a rally in Bullhead City, Ariz., on Wednesday, Trump went after Canada again, listing grievances over dairy sector trade and repeating his claim that Canada treats the United States “very badly.”
He said Canada will end up being the 51st state because “that’s the only way it works.”
“We don’t need them, but they need us,” he said.
The Republicans are under heavy pressure ahead of the midterms, when the entire House of Representatives and one-third of U.S. Senate seats will be contested. While the Republicans currently hold a majority of seats in both chambers, polls suggest the Democrats could win control of both.
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Peter Navarro, one of Trump’s trade advisers, warned Ottawa last month against interfering in the midterms and berated Canada over its successful lobbying efforts in the past.
Speaking at the American Growth Summit in Washington, he told the audience that any Canadians in the room intent on lobbying the U.S. government should “get the hell out of our country.”
“The problem you have is you lobby this country, and you’ve been successful in the past and you think you can keep doing that. Memo to Canada: You cannot keep doing that,” Navarro said.
“That game is up and if you interfere in our elections in Maine or Michigan, you will pay even more dearly.”
The Globe and Mail reported recently that Republican political operatives were on the ground in Alberta earlier this year to help the separatist campaign. It also reported that some Alberta separatists went to Washington to lobby for U.S. government support.
In August, Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered the Canadian negotiating team to call off trade talks with the U.S. after accusing the Americans of making unreasonable demands.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was in Detroit on Tuesday to make a case for tariff-free trade in the auto sector.
Poilievre appeared on CNN, where he continued to pitch the benefits of tariff-free trade.
“We have a 200-year-old relationship, there’s always going to be grievances on both sides of the border,” he said. “We have our grievances with the United States even predating this most recent trade dispute, but I would focus on what we can do together.”
The U.S.has already interfered with our elections.
Trump told Canadians to vote for the Liberals and the Elbozos obeyed.
Trump. “The Liberals are easier to deal with ”
Elbozos ” Carney is the man for the job”
Canada ” What’s the matter with you dimwits,don’t listen to Trump, don’t vote for the Liberals.Cant you see the disaster they created over the last decade ?
Meanwhile, the US Administration including Hoekstra has been interfering with elections in Canada with attempts to push 3 provinces to separate from Canada. The dirt bag might want to look in the mirror before blaming someone else for their own disaster.
It’s like Donny blaming Ukraine for the high diesel cast. MAGAS are really in an alternate world, funny bunch.
US has been interfering for liberals since 2015. Who do you think was funding all those anti oil anti redource anti pipeline groups? Carneys buddies at Tides, Rockefeller and his wife’s new York employer Eurasia group. All have funneled millions to Liberal accounts to keep our resources in the ground.
The Trump government is the king of political interference. They stuck their noses and gave money to rivals countries that’s aligned with their MAGA ideology. Hoekstra is one of them.
@Ben. Canada constantly interferes in other countries elections and supports separatists from around the world
Very understandable. Canada is full of morons who interfere in other countries just look at the Khalistanis
As long as they agree in writing not to interfere any more in provincial seperation. I’m sure
The pot calling the kettle black…..Quebec, Alberta, Federal, Venezuela, UK, France, Italy, Hungary etc etc etc etc…not enough room here to list all the US meddling. Go jump of a bridge idiot.
Canada 100% will be interfering in our elections!
It will probably be mostly the filthy Mexicans and dirty negros doing the all the work.
I dunno all, I find it really easy to hate Trump and Liberals.
They’re just prepping scapegoats to blame when their midterms go badly lol
We had a relationship but then the Trudeaus blew it up and Carney continued the destruction. Canada will be the 51 st state piecemeal.
Why can’t he keep his mouth shut. We interfering US election? Kidding, eh? We would be happy if he shows us more respect as an Ambassasdor should have been. Why don’t we kick him out as persona non grata.
Isn’t the media, which is funded by the government, interferring?
Hoekstra and U.S administration are trying to find a scapegoat if republicans lose the midterms. They need to blame Canada for their poor decisions . The U. S. are the ones continuously meddling in other countries elections. Hypocrites as per usual.
Fools like Hoekstra and Navarro are endemic to the United States. We have a few Alberta crackpots, but nowhere near the number of low-IQ idiots they have.
The USA can stop interfering in the referendum election in Alberta. There has been no interference by Canada in US elections. Hoekstra should concentrate on why the USA is sabatoging itself. The country is a literal dumpster fire!
you mean he took his tongue out of Trumps a$$ long enough to speak the mantra?
Maybe our Grand Poo-ba Mr. Carney PM, can grow a pair and show Hoekstra the f*ckin door and imprint a number 10 foot print on his azz on the way out!. But we all know Carney is running scared and hiding in Alberduh.
We all know Carney is a gutless W E F prince with EU roots who lives in New York. This is why he is completely detached from Canada and Canadians! But you azzholes go ahead and vote for an ‘immigrant’ as PM.
Maybe Lard Ford will run commercials over the World Series telling all Americans to vote for the Democrats.
people forget that their time on earth is limited. I worked in palliative care and the ONE thing people regret, as they’re dying in their bed is the meanness they did….this creep will be the same….