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U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa in June, 2025.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says American officials are “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of election interference.
During a recent interview on the The Really Big Show podcast, Hoekstra said political ads run by the province of Ontario last year could be interpreted as political interference.
He also cited recent comments by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and former prime minister Justin Trudeau and suggested they also could amount to interference.
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Hoekstra went on to warn Canadian politicians to keep their “nose out” of American politics in the weeks before the midterm elections.
He said that if any actions end up amounting to election interference, the United States will respond.
The U.S. President has been actively campaigning in battleground states ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which could end Republican control over Congress.