Us Embassy In Ottawa Accuses Canada Of Election Meddling

OTTAWA — The Trump administration is accusing prominent Canadian politicians of interfering in American elections. The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa detailed the allegations in a “fact sheet” distributed Wednesday to journalists.

The unsigned document singles out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather and Bernadette Jordan, a former Liberal Cabinet minister now serving as Canada’s consul general in Boston.

“The Canadian government brushes off concerns about potential interference in U.S. elections, even as its ministers and premiers openly describe plans to influence American politics in official documents and public appearances,” read the document.

Peter Navarro, a Trump economic adviser, also recently warned Canadians against interfering in the U.S. midterms.

“Please, if you’re on K Street, get the hell out of our country,” Navarro said.

“You’ve lobbied this country, and you’ve been successful in the past and you think you can keep doing that,” continued Navarro, who serves as senior counselor for trade and manufacturing in the White House. “Memo to Canada: You cannot do that.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney brushed off the allegations at a Wednesday press conference where Ford also denied engaging in interference.

The prime minister did note he had spoken with President Donald Trump earlier in the day about “a wide range of things,” including “the situation in Iran.” They also exchanged views on Ukraine, the Middle East and trade irritants on a separate call a few days ago.

Carney joked recently about the American concerns. At a rally in Calgary ahead of Alberta’s referendum vote on separation from Canada, Carney spoke about reducing economic dependence on the U.S.

"Careful,” he said. “They might think that’s election interference. They’re a little touchy down there.”

One of the American complaints centered on a comment from Joly when Ottawa unveiled retaliatory tariffs in August. At the time, the minister acknowledged the levies, which responded dollar for dollar to American tariffs, were driven in part by political pressure.

“We’re also targeting products that will target states in the U.S.,” she said Aug. 25. “And so 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.”

U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has a combative relationship with Canadians, regularly deploying blunt talk amid tense trade relations and Trump’s repeated rhetoric about absorbing Canada as a 51st state.

When Hoekstra recently told “The Really Big Show” podcast that he was watching Canadian politicians closely for signs of interference, Joly denied any misconduct.

“Absolutely not,” she told reporters, saying Canadians “would never do that, and we never accept that also being done to us in Canada.”

Hoekstra was irked by Joly’s comments earlier this week on cooperation in outer space. Speaking at the SpaceBound conference in Gatineau, Quebec, Joly pledged to bolster Canada’s sovereign capacity in the space sector — and to ratchet up collaboration with Europeans and other spacefaring nations.

Hoekstra took that to mean Canadians were turning away from the U.S.

“We see the opportunity, doing it collaboratively. Canada wants to go somewhere else. That is a sovereign issue for Canada to decide,” he said during a fireside chat at the same conference. “We’re talking to people around the world. We’ve got lots of people that want to partner with the United States.”

Housefather’s summertime door-knocking with a Democratic candidate drew the embassy’s ire. The missive also claimed Canada is the second-largest source of foreign nationals prosecuted for “fraudulent or illegal voting” in the U.S., citing Department of Justice figures. The embassy didn’t respond to follow-up questions.

“All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way,” the document read. “Americans decide America's elections.”