Story perspectives

Petition Urges Canada to Declare Hoekstra Persona Non Grata

8/13/2026

Summary

May Petitions

Elizabeth May will present a petition to declare U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra persona non grata.
The petition, started by a Calgary resident, has over 29,000 signatures.
It asks Ottawa to invoke the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and refer the matter to a parliamentary committee.
Canada hopes the move will help avoid a 50% U.S. tariff on $20-28 billion of goods as the petition heads to the House of Commons.

Summary

Calgary Woman Petition

The petition, drafted by a woman from Calgary, against Canadian bans on U.S. liquor has reached almost 60,000 signatures as of Wednesday, nearly double the prior count.
Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said the bans are “kind of backwards” because Canada imports 93% of U.S. exports.
Hoekstra, a former U.S. House Representative, was appointed ambassador to Canada in April 2025.
A U.S. Embassy spokesperson confirmed awareness of the petition but declined further comment.

History

Historical Context

Since the early 1980s, Canada-U.S. softwood lumber disputes—starting with Lumber I in 1982 and followed by Lumber II (1986) and Lumber III (1991)—have produced countervailing duties and the 1996 Softwood Lumber Agreement, later replaced by a 2006 pact after the 2001 expiration. The long-running trade row fuels today’s petition demanding Ambassador Hoekstra’s removal.

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May Petitions

Elizabeth May will present a petition to declare U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra persona non grata.
The petition, started by a Calgary resident, has over 29,000 signatures.
It asks Ottawa to invoke the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and refer the matter to a parliamentary committee.
Canada hopes the move will help avoid a 50% U.S. tariff on $20-28 billion of goods as the petition heads to the House of Commons.

1 / 3