OTTAWA, Canada, October 22 (ANI) — The United States has accused Canada of seeking to influence American politics ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, according to a factsheet released by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa.
The embassy cited statements by Canadian ministers and provincial leaders regarding retaliatory tariffs, political pressure on the Trump administration and engagements with U.S. Democratic officials.
In a factsheet titled “Monitoring Canadian Activities in U.S. Politics,” the embassy alleged that the Canadian government had dismissed concerns about potential interference in American elections, even as its officials publicly discussed efforts to exert political pressure in the United 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 embassy said in the factsheet.
The document cited Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s meetings with U.S. Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September 2026, ahead of the midterm elections.
When asked about the potential implications for tariffs if Democrats won the elections, Joly reportedly said, “That’s exactly why I’m meeting so many governors and potential presidential candidates,” according to a September 19 report by La Presse Canadienne cited in the document.
The embassy also highlighted Joly’s remarks at an August 25 news conference, during which she acknowledged targeting products that would put political pressure on U.S. states.
“We’re also targeting products that will target states in the U.S. And so we’re being wise and strategic to put political pressure, and that’s why we think it’s the right thing to do right now,” Joly said, according to the factsheet.
The document also cited her March 2025 remarks about putting pressure on American businesses in key Republican states to influence the Trump administration.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was also mentioned in the factsheet. The embassy referred to a letter Ford sent to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in August 2026, urging consideration of additional retaliatory tariffs on imports from politically significant states that support the U.S. administration.
The factsheet also referenced Ontario’s 75 million Canadian dollar anti-tariff advertising campaign, launched in October 2025, which featured excerpts from former U.S. President Ronald Reagan. Ford had said the campaign’s message would be repeated across Republican districts nationwide.
Other examples cited included Canadian Liberal MP Anthony Housefather’s reported campaigning for U.S. Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz ahead of her Florida primary and Canadian Consul General Bernadette Jordan’s appearance alongside Democratic lawmakers at a Vermont roundtable on trade tensions in October.
Separately, the embassy cited U.S. Department of Justice cases involving Canadian citizens charged with or convicted of unlawful voting in American elections. It claimed that at least 11 Canadians had been charged or sentenced in 2026 in cases involving elections and primaries held between 2012 and 2024.
The embassy urged Canadians to refrain from participating in or attempting to influence American elections.
“All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way. Americans decide America’s elections,” the embassy said.
The allegations come amid an ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa that began after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian goods during his second term in 2025, prompting Canada to introduce retaliatory duties.
The factsheet adds to tensions between the two countries ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, which will determine control of the U.S. Congress. (ANI)
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