U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says American officials are “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of election interference. During […]
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says American officials are “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of election interference.
During a recent interview on the “The Really Big Show” podcast, Hoekstra said political ads run by the province of Ontario last year could be interpreted as political interference.
He 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.
He said that if any actions end up amounting to election interference, the United States will respond.
The president has been actively campaigning in battleground states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which could end Republican control over Congress.
At a fireside chat on National Defence hosted by the Globe and Mail on Wednesday, Joly said she doesn’t need to answer to the U.S. ambassador’s comments.
“We won’t get involved in internal politics in this country, we don’t want them to,” Joly said.
With files from Sydney Ko.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2026.