Prime Minister Mark Carney is dismissing American allegations of Canadian interference in U.S. politics ahead of November’s midterm elections, saying there is “no merit” to such claims.
Members of President Donald Trump’s administration, including U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, have alleged that Canadian politicians could potentially be meddling in their neighbour’s democratic proceedings.
Carney addressed the accusations during an Oct. 23 press conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
“There is no merit to these claims, so I’ll call it out that way: I’m disappointed that their envoy sees that it’s his role to make these suggestions,” Carney said, referring to Hoekstra.
The U.S. embassy in Canada released what it described as a “fact sheet” this week that says Ottawa is seeking to interfere in U.S. political affairs. The Oct. 21 publication accuses Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, and Canadian Consul General Bernadette Jordan of making comments or engaging in activities that could be considered attempting to influence American politics.
Hoekstra also recently told “The Really Big Show” podcast that the White House is closely monitoring the actions of Canadian leaders and warned them to keep their “nose out of American politics.”
He said comments by Joly and some other Canadian lawmakers in recent weeks could be interpreted as interference in closely contested electoral races leading up to the Nov. 3 vote, an event that will decide which party governs the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate throughout the rest of Trump’s term.
Joly was asked about Hoekstra’s comments during an Oct. 14 press conference in Ottawa. She told reporters Canada would never interfere in America’s political landscape.
“Absolutely not, we would never do that, and we never accept that also being done to us in Canada,” Joly said when asked about the ambassador’s suggestions.
Hoekstra’s remarks echo similar accusations last month by Trump adviser Peter Navarro, who told Canadian lobbyists to “get the hell out” of the United States and warned Canada not to interfere in the midterm elections.
Carney told reporters in Turkey that Ottawa has been “very, very careful to not be seen to interfere.”
Carney noted that Global Affairs had already distributed directives to the country’s diplomats, instructing them to avoid any conduct that might be interpreted as meddling, long before Hoekstra made his comments.
Diplomats were told this week not to meet with or attend events with candidates in the U.S. midterm elections amid a period of “heightened sensitivity.”
The prime minister said Canada maintains deep diplomatic ties with the United States but is vigilant about steering clear of inappropriate conduct.
“We have lots of interaction with American companies, citizens, individuals, and stakeholders more broadly and we’re very careful to not be seen to interfere,” he said. “We have no intention to interfere with their democratic processes.”
Carney brushed off suggestions from the media that the United States might hold Canada responsible for disappointing Republican midterm performance and retaliate with tariffs.
“I don’t see that coming to pass,” he said, but added that he “can’t predict what the United States is going to do.”
Carney also said he didn’t want to make similar accusations of U.S. leaders, but underscored concerns about how American actions influence Canadian political proceedings.
“I’m not going to get into tit-for-tat,” Carney said. “The resources of the media here can make their own judgment about the extent to which very, very senior U.S. officials have directly made suggestions to intervene, so to speak, in Canadian sovereignty, Canadian democratic processes, encourage certain outcomes, encourage certain peoples through that process.”
Carney did not elaborate on who he was referring to.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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