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More than 80,000 Canadians have signed onto a petition calling for the removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, accusing him of “undermining” relations between the two countries and having ties to a separatist movement.
The Independent reports that the petition campaign seeks to have Hoekstra, a former ambassador to the Netherlands and Republican member of Congress, declared persona non grata and removed. It faults Hoekstra for saying Canada’s political establishment is “anti-American” and claims he “normalized” the Trump administration’s threat to annex Canada as the ’51st state.'”
It also notes that the Trump administration allegedly met with the separatist group Alberta Prosperity Project, which Hoekstra has denied, something the petition raises “serious questions about US diplomatic interference in Canadian unity.” Relatedly, the petition criticizes Hoekstra over his acquaintance with the founder of a voter ID app used by Alberta separatists.
The petition, which will be presented in Parliament this fall and calls for a committee to “review US diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs,” comes amid the ongoing deterioration of the US-Canada alliance.
The historically strong ties further frayed last month with a new round of Trump tariffs on the country.
At the same time, Canadian officials disinvited the US from the opening of the cross-border Gordie Howe International Bridge, a $4.6 billion, Canada-funded infrastructure project Trump threatened to block before extracting a cut of toll revenues.
US tariffs, as well as the American effort to seize Canada’s neighbour to the north, Greenland – an autonomous territory of Denmark – have angered Canadian officials.
In a closely watched January speech at the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke of the world entering a new era where the stability and prosperity of US-led, global institutions and alliances were ending.
President Trump, meanwhile, has raged at the Canadians over an anti-tariff ad funded by Ontario’s provincial government which quoted former President Ronald Reagan’s views on such levies.
The conflict has spilt into regional security considerations, too.
The US has threatened to alter aerospace cooperation if Canada backtracks on its purchase of American F-35 fighter jets.
Under the current terms of NORAD, the US and Canada can operate in one another’s airspace to track or intercept threats. However, Hoekstra has warned that a change in purchase plans could mean more American jets flying into Canada to “fill those gaps.”
