OTTAWA - Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, is warning Canadian politicians to stay out of American politics, saying officials are monitoring potential “political interference in the U.S. midterms.”
In an interview with “The Really Big Show” podcast, Hoekstra suggested the actions of several Canadian politicians, including Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, could amount to interference in close American races just weeks before the crucial midterm elections.
“It appears that some of this, from our perspective, in the way we view our elections, could be inferred to be election interference,” Hoekstra said.
“You have Minister Joly saying of course we are going to target tariffs in politically sensitive states.”
The warning comes as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre tours Michigan and the Detroit area, arguing for a tariff-free auto sector between Canada and the United States.
A senior source in Poilievre’s office told CTV News they notified the Prime Minister’s Office in advance of this trip, and were not given any “direction or caution” not to carry out the visit.
Michigan is a closely contested state and Hoekstra’s home state. Democrats have been campaigning against tariffs there and across the country, tying U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies to the higher cost of living facing Americans.
Democrats have not committed to cancelling the tariffs outright, but many have campaigned against the trade war with Canada.
Hoekstra did not mention Poilievre’s tour, but American officials have raised concerns about other Canadian politicians in background briefings.
In August, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather campaigned for U.S. Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida during her primary campaign. U.S. officials speaking to Canadian reporters on background raised concerns about Housefather’s actions.
“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,” Hoekstra told the podcast.
Hoekstra also pointed to an advertising campaign run by the Ontario government against U.S. tariff policy last year. The ads used the voice of Ronald Reagan speaking against tariffs as a tax on consumers.
After the ads ran, trade talks between Canada and the United States broke off.
“Clearly the actions of the province of Ontario a year ago, in running political ads against our administration are interpreted as political interference. It’s never happened in America before. Canada decided they would test the waters and see how far they could go,” Hoekstra said.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly pushed back on Hoekstra’s comments.
“Absolutely not, and would never do that, and we never accept that also being done to us in Canada,” Joly said when asked about the ambassador’s suggestions.
“I’ve engaged with Democrats and Republicans,” Joly later added. “Fundamentally, what I’ve done in the U.S. is to attract investment. I think I’ll be able to have good news of investments by different American companies to Canada.”
Last August, when Joly announced her government’s counter-tariffs on around 700 American products, she spoke about how the measures were designed to target specific states.
“We’re being wise and strategic to put political pressure, and that’s why we think it’s the right thing to do right now,” she said at the time.
Former Conservative leader Erin O’Toole told CTV News Wednesday that he doesn’t agree with Hoekstra, and that comment commenting on policy decisions like tariffs or buying diesel from Russia should not be conflated for interference.
“These are bad decisions for global security, for the economy, and that’s not interference in elections. That’s responding to U.S. foreign policy decisions,” said O’Toole, who is now a member of the Advisory Committee on Canada-U.S. Economic Relations.
Hoekstra’s comments come as concerns linger around reported political involvement by Americans ahead of next week’s Alberta referendum, as reported by the Globe and Mail.
With files from CTV News’ Rachel Hanes
