US accuses Canadian politicians of election interference — Al Jazeera
The US Embassy in Canada has accused Canadian politicians of attempting to influence the US midterm elections scheduled for November 3. In an information brief circulated on Wednesday, the diplomatic mission linked these actions to Canada’s opposition to US President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign, Al Jazeera reports.
Tariffs and meetings with Democrats
The embassy pointed to statements by Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, who in August spoke about introducing measures against goods from US states to exert political pressure. Diplomats also mentioned her September meetings with Democratic Party representatives in Boston and Chicago.
Joly rejected suggestions of election interference, stating that Canada would never interfere in the US electoral process. According to her, meetings with US politicians from both parties were aimed at attracting investment and developing the Canadian economy.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Ontario advertising and accusations against individual citizens
The brief also mentioned Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who called for retaliatory measures against US goods. Separately, the embassy drew attention to the provincial government’s advertising campaign against Trump’s tariffs, featuring excerpts from a 1987 radio address by former US President Ronald Reagan in which he criticized tariffs. Following this campaign, Trump ended trade negotiations with Canada in October 2025.
The US diplomatic mission cited examples of attempts by Canadian officials to influence US trade policy, but did not explain how this constituted election interference. It also named 11 Canadians who were charged or convicted of illegal voting in the United States between 2012 and 2024, but provided no evidence linking these cases to actions by the Canadian government.
Last week, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said that Washington was monitoring possible signs of interference ahead of the midterm elections. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since Trump returned to power in 2025 and a trade confrontation began.
