U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra Warns Canada Could Be Blamed for Republican Midterm Losses

At a closed-door business gathering, U.S. ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra told attendees that if swing races in states such as Maine and Michigan were won by Democrats, the Republican Party might blame the defeat on Canada. Hoekstra said the United States was “monitoring” Canadian actions and would respond if any activity became “election interference.” The remarks have sparked a diplomatic flare-up just weeks before the U.S. midterm elections.

The Guardian

Canada and the United States have been locked in a tariff conflict for months, with Ottawa retaliating against what it calls illegal U.S. tariffs and targeting goods from states heavily dependent on Canadian trade. Canadian industry minister Mélanie Joly has repeatedly denied any interference in U.S.

The Guardian

Prime Minister Mark Carney, speaking from Turkey, called Hoekstra’s claims “no merit” and expressed disappointment that the ambassador would frame the issue as a political tactic. The U.S. embassy later said Hoekstra’s comments were “grossly taken out of context,” asserting that the ambassador has consistently argued that Canadian media overstates the relevance of Canadian issues to American voters.

The Guardian

Roland Paris, director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa and former adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, described Hoekstra’s statements as “extraordinary” for a U.S. Paris added that the ambassador’s remarks have “aggravated tensions” and do not serve American interests.

The Guardian

• “We see all of that. We are monitoring it. We are evaluating it. And if some of it becomes election interference, America will respond to it,” — Pete Hoekstra — Pete Hoekstra

The Guardian