WorldPosted at: Oct 23 2026 7:31PM


US accuses Canada of election interference ahead of midterm polls

Washington/Ottawa, Oct 23 (UNI) The US has accused Canadian officials of attempting to influence American elections through politically targeted trade measures, anti-tariff advertising and meetings with Democratic politicians ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
In a fact sheet, the US Embassy in Ottawa accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government of seeking to influence American politics.
“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,” the embassy said.
The document singled out Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly, citing remarks in which she described plans to target Republican-leaning states with retaliatory tariffs in response to US President Donald Trump’s trade policies.
“We’re making sure to put pressure on American businesses, in key Republican states to put pressure on the Trump Administration,” Joly said in March. In August, she added: “We’re being wise and strategic to put political pressure.”
Washington also questioned Joly’s meetings with Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September, as well as an anti-tariff advertising campaign launched by Ontario Premier Doug Ford featuring former US President Ronald Reagan criticising protectionist trade policies.
The embassy highlighted Canadian Consul General Bernadette Jordan’s appearance alongside two Democratic congressmen at a Vermont roundtable on trade tensions, three weeks before the midterms. It also cited a Canadian government billboard campaign targeting 12 predominantly Republican-voting states and Washington, DC.
The document further pointed to Liberal lawmaker Anthony Housefather’s campaigning for Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida. It also listed 11 Canadians charged or sentenced in 2026 over illegally voting in previous US elections.
“All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence US elections in any way,” the embassy said. “Americans decide America’s elections.”
The accusations followed a warning from US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra that Washington was monitoring Canadian political activities ahead of the congressional elections.
“We’re monitoring it, we’re evaluating it and if some of it becomes election interference then America will respond to it,” Hoekstra said.
Ottawa has rejected the allegations.
Carney said Canada’s measures were intended to protect its workers and businesses from American tariffs, while Ford denied seeking to interfere in US elections. Joly defended her meetings with American politicians as normal diplomatic engagement, noting that she had met both Republicans and Democrats.
The dispute comes amid deteriorating relations between the neighbouring countries over Trump’s sweeping tariffs and his repeated suggestions that Canada should become the 51st US state.
In September, Carney disclosed that his government had examined the possibility of US military action against Canada, describing it as an “extreme tail risk” that nevertheless warranted contingency planning. Ottawa has also been seeking closer military and economic ties with Europe to reduce its dependence on Washington.
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