Ambassador says Canada may be blamed if GOP loses key midterms

Pete Hoekstra, the United States ambassador to Canada, told a group of business leaders on Wednesday that Canada could face political blame if Democratic candidates win key swing states in the upcoming midterm elections. The comments were made during a closed-door meeting and have intensified a growing dispute between the two countries.

According to CTV News, Hoekstra specifically mentioned races in Maine and Michigan. He suggested that if Donald Trump attributes poor electoral performance to Canadian influence or actions, diplomatic relations could become more difficult. Prime Minister Mark Carney reacted to the report by calling it an interesting way of framing the situation.

The remark arrives while the two nations are engaged in a months long tariff war. Ottawa has retaliated against what it describes as illegal American tariffs by targeting goods from US states that rely heavily on trade with Canada. Carney stated that Canada will pursue a trade deal if one becomes possible, but noted that its negotiators are not currently in that position.

Hoekstra has frequently drawn criticism in Canada for his public statements. Last year, he described Trump's suggestion of making Canada the 51st state as a sign of affection. He also labeled the 2025 Canadian federal election as anti-American. This year, more than 225,000 Canadians signed a House of Commons petition demanding his expulsion, citing breaches of diplomatic protocol.

Recently, Hoekstra accused Canadian officials of interfering in US elections. He pointed to Canadian politicians criticizing tariffs in American media and an anti-tariff advertisement from Ontario that aired on US television. He told a podcast that if some of this becomes election interference, America will respond to it, and that Canadians should keep their noses out of American politics.

Industry Minister Melanie Joly, who was a target of his comments, said Canada would never do that and would never accept the same treatment in Canada. Speaking in Turkey, Carney said there was no merit to the interference claims. He expressed disappointment that the US envoy sees his role as making such suggestions.

Roland Paris, director of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, called the remarks extraordinary for an ambassador to make about his host country. Paris said the comments looked like an attempt to manufacture a pretext for the Trump administration's own political difficulties. He argued that each statement leaves Canadians more determined to stand up to the US.

The US embassy denied that Hoekstra explicitly said Canada would be blamed for a weak Republican result. The embassy stated his words were grossly taken out of context from a broader discussion. It maintained that the ambassador has consistently held that Canadian media overstate the relevance of Canadian issues in American elections.

Hoekstra has been at the center of earlier clashes, including an expletive laced tirade at a business event last year. Ontario's premier called that incident absolutely unacceptable and unbecoming of an ambassador. Last week, former president Barack Obama mocked Trump's fixation on Canada at a Democratic rally in Detroit, noting that Canadians gave Americans Martin Short and maple syrup.