Canada Petition Targets US Ambassador Hoekstra

A Canada petition calling for the removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has passed 60,000 signatures, intensifying political friction between Ottawa and Washington as trade talks race toward a tariff deadline. The online appeal accuses Hoekstra of interfering in Canadian domestic affairs and of helping normalize threats tied to Donald Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st state.

The petition says Hoekstra has made repeated interventions in Canadian political debate and asks that he be formally removed from his post. It also wants a parliamentary committee to examine what it describes as U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs. The petition was started by a woman in Calgary and has now cleared the threshold needed to be presented in Canada’s House of Commons. In a statement to the BBC, the US embassy said it was aware of the petition but would not comment further.

Hoekstra, a Republican and Trump ally, has defended Trump’s trade agenda as a way to protect the safety and prosperity of Americans. He has also said the relationship between the two countries is critical. Still, he has drawn criticism in Canada for several public remarks and actions. Those include reposting Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state and saying it would be a “great discussion to be had” by the leaders of both countries. He also faced criticism for inviting one of the leaders of the 2022 Freedom Convoy movement to his official Fourth of July event.

The petition also points to reported meetings in Washington between US State Department officials and some Albertans who support Alberta separating from Canada. In addition, Hoekstra has called some political rhetoric in Canada anti-American and has voiced frustration over the decision by most provinces to remove US alcohol from store shelves, a dispute that has become part of the larger trade fight.