The United States Embassy in Ottawa has accused Canadian officials of attempting to influence the upcoming November midterm elections, pointing to public statements and meetings related to the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries.
In a fact sheet released on Wednesday, the embassy alleged that 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."
The midterm elections will determine which party controls both chambers of the US Congress, a result that could significantly affect the remainder of Donald Trump's presidency.
Among the politicians singled out in the document was Industry Minister Melanie Joly. The fact sheet cited comments she made in August regarding Canada's tariff response to the US. "We're also targeting products that will target states in the US. And so we're being wise and strategic to put political pressure," Joly said at the time.
The embassy also took issue with Joly's meetings with Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September. When asked by a reporter what she expected regarding tariffs if Democrats were to win the midterms, she replied, "That's exactly why I'm meeting so many governors and potential presidential candidates."
Joly has rejected the suggestion that her actions could amount to interference. She said her meetings with US politicians, both Democratic and Republican, were focused on building Canada's economy. "Fundamentally, what I've done in the US is to attract investments," she told reporters on October 14.
The fact sheet also cited Ontario Premier Doug Ford's calls for retaliatory tariffs on imports from what it described as "politically significant states to the current administration's base of support," as well as his government's advertising campaign against Trump's tariffs, launched last year. That campaign featured clips of former US President Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs in a 1987 radio address and reportedly prompted Trump to call off trade talks with Canada in October 2025.
Additional allegations in the document included Liberal MP Anthony Housefather saying he had campaigned in Florida on behalf of Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz ahead of her primary election in August. The fact sheet also named 11 individual Canadians charged or sentenced for illegally participating in US elections between 2012 and 2024, though it presented no evidence linking those individuals to any coordinated Canadian government effort.
"All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way," the embassy's statement read. "Americans decide America's elections."
The fact sheet was released a week after US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said Washington was closely monitoring Canada for signs of interference. "We're monitoring it, we're evaluating it and if some of it becomes election interference then America will respond to it," Hoekstra said in a podcast interview, according to reports.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney dismissed the allegations on Wednesday, noting that it was the US that first initiated trade actions against Canada. "We've responded to those to protect Canadian jobs, to protect Canadian companies and develop our economy," Carney said. He added that his government's response had been "in the interests of Canadian workers, Canadian families and the future of this economy."
Carney was announcing a nearly C$9 billion ($6.2 billion) aid package in response to US tariffs at the time, and was accompanied by both Joly and Ford.
Ford also denied any intent to interfere. "I'll tell you what the American people want. They want certainty, they want stability," he said, adding that he would remain focused on Ontario and Canada. "The people of the United States will make that determination in the midterms," Ford said.
Relations between the two countries have deteriorated significantly since Trump returned to office. Beyond the trade war, Trump has repeatedly threatened to make Canada a 51st state. Reports have also emerged that separatist leaders from Alberta sought support from Trump administration officials ahead of a failed referendum on the province's independence this week.
Ahead of that vote, Carney had addressed concerns about potential US interference in the referendum, saying Canada expected foreign governments to stay out of its elections.
