US Embassy Accuses Canadian Officials of Election Interference Ahead of Midterms

The United States has accused Canadian politicians of attempting to influence its midterm elections, citing Canada's responses to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies. In a fact sheet released on Wednesday, the U.S. embassy alleged that Canada has been dismissive of U.S. concerns regarding election interference. The document states, “The Canadian government brushes off concerns about potential interference in U.S. elections, even as its ministers and premiers openly describe plans to influence American politics in official documents and public appearances.”

The two nations have been engaged in a trade dispute since the beginning of Trump’s second term in 2025, with Canada implementing its own import taxes in response to U.S. tariffs. However, the U.S. embassy identified public statements concerning these tariffs as efforts to sway the midterm elections scheduled for November 3.

Among the Canadian officials highlighted in the fact sheet was Industry Minister Melanie Joly. The embassy pointed to comments Joly made in August regarding responses to Trump’s tariffs, where she stated, “We’re also targeting products that will target states in the US. And so we’re being wise and strategic to put political pressure.” The embassy also took issue with Joly’s meetings with Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September. When questioned about the potential impact of a Democratic midterm victory on tariffs, she remarked, “That’s exactly why I’m meeting so many governors and potential presidential candidates.”

Joly has refuted the notion that her actions constitute interference, asserting that Canada would never interfere in U.S. elections. She explained that her meetings with U.S. politicians, from both Democratic and Republican parties, were aimed at attracting investment to Canada. “Fundamentally, what I’ve done in the US is to attract investments,” she told reporters on October 14.

The U.S. embassy also referenced Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s calls for retaliatory measures on U.S. products and his government’s advertising campaign against Trump’s tariffs, launched the previous year. This campaign, which included clips of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs in a 1987 radio address, led Trump to halt trade talks with Canada in October 2025.

While the embassy detailed several instances of Canadian officials attempting to influence U.S. trade policy, it did not elaborate on how these actions constituted election interference. Other alleged instances of interference included Liberal MP Anthony Housefather’s statement about campaigning in Florida for Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz before her August primary election. The fact sheet also accused individual Canadians of illegally participating in U.S. elections, naming 11 individuals charged or sentenced for voting between 2012 and 2024. However, the sheet provided no evidence linking these citizens to a Canadian government-led effort to interfere in U.S. elections.

“All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way,” the U.S. embassy’s statement declared. “Americans decide America’s elections.”

This fact sheet emerged a week after U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra stated that Washington was closely monitoring Canada for signs of interference ahead of the midterms. “We’re monitoring it, we’re evaluating it and if some of it becomes election interference then America will respond to it,” Hoekstra said in a podcast interview, according to The Canadian Press.

Relations between the long-standing allies have become strained since Trump returned to office. Beyond initiating a trade war, Trump has also threatened to make Canada the 51st U.S. state. Reports also indicated that separatist leaders from Alberta had sought support from Trump administration officials prior to a recent failed referendum on the province’s independence.

Before Monday’s provincial vote, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney addressed concerns about potential U.S. interference in the referendum, stating Canada’s expectation that foreign governments would not interfere in its elections. “Our expectation is, to be absolutely clear, on foreign governments, United States included, is we don’t get ourselves involved in their elections, they don’t get themselves involved in our elections,” he told Global News.

Al Jazeera has reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office, Global Affairs Canada, the office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Industry Minister Joly for comment.