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The US Embassy in Ottawa distributed the unsigned document to journalists on October 21, detailing what it characterized as Canadian plans to sway American politics amid an escalating trade war that began with President Donald Trump’s second term in 2025. According to the embassy’s fact sheet, as reported by Politico and Al Jazeera, the document singles out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly with five separate quotes, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather and former cabinet minister Bernadette Jordan, now Canada’s consul general in Boston. The release explicitly states that the Canadian government brushes off concerns about potential interference in US elections even as its ministers and premiers openly describe plans to influence American politics in official documents and public appearances.
Joly’s comments from August about retaliatory tariffs drew particular attention because she acknowledged targeting products that would affect politically sensitive states to apply pressure, the fact sheet noted. Housefather faced criticism for door-knocking in Florida on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate during the summer, while the embassy also referenced an Ontario government advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan that aired in the United States last year. Canadian officials have maintained that all such measures respond to American-initiated tariffs and serve the interests of workers and families on their side of the border.
Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed the matter alongside Ford during a news conference on Parliament Hill the same day, according to accounts from CBC News and The Globe and Mail. Carney said all of Canada’s actions are in the interest of Canadian workers and families after the United States began the trade actions, without directly engaging the interference label. Ford stated he has no interest in interfering in American elections, a position that aligns with broader Canadian assertions that Ottawa is simply defending its economic position rather than seeking to shape US voter outcomes.
US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra had raised the issue a week earlier in a podcast interview when he said American officials are closely watching Canadian politicians for signs of election interference ahead of the midterms. Hoekstra warned that any actions deemed to cross into interference would draw a response from Washington, citing both Joly’s tariff strategy comments and the earlier Ontario advertisement as areas of concern. The ambassador’s remarks set the stage for the embassy’s formal fact sheet, which concluded with the declaration that Americans decide America’s elections.
The document additionally claims Canada represents the second-largest source of foreign nationals prosecuted for fraudulent or illegal voting in the United States, drawing on Department of Justice figures that list 11 Canadians charged or sentenced this year for activities between 2012 and 2024. Embassy officials did not respond to follow-up questions from reporters seeking clarification on the allegations or the timing of the release. The accusations surface against a backdrop of heightened tensions between the neighbors, where Canadian leaders have repeatedly met with US governors, business leaders and Democratic figures to discuss the tariff dispute and its cross-border impacts.
Former Canadian diplomats and one ex-parliamentarian told The Hill Times that Ottawa should continue speaking loudly and clearly about the effects of US policy on Canada despite the envoy’s concerns. They argued the country is not advocating for Americans to vote in any particular way but is instead presenting factual impacts on both sides of the border. The episode underscores the delicate balance in US-Canada relations as the November 3 midterm elections, which could shift control of Congress, draw nearer.
