Thousands of Canadians call for US ambassadors expulsion

More than 70,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for the US ambassador in Ottawa to be expelled for undermining diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.

The online petition accuses Pete Hoekstra of “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse” and of having “normalised the Trump administration’s threats to annex Canada as the ’51st state'” of the US.

In a statement to the BBC, the US embassy said it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further.

Canada and the US are currently engaged in intense period of trade talks, aiming to reach an agreement before new US tariffs take effect next Wednesday.

The petition, launched by a woman in Calgary, also raises concerns about meetings in Washington between the US state department officials and some Albertans who want the province to separate from Canada.

It requests Ambassador Hoekstra be formally removed from his role, and a parliamentary committee review “US diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs”.

Leanne Walker, who initiated the petition, said the response had been a surprise.

“It’s beyond what I expected out of this,” she told state broadcaster CBC News, external.

“It tells me that it’s not a fringe issue, and that a lot of Canadians are uncomfortable with how Hoekstra has been repeating Trump talking points about our sovereignty and Canada as a whole.”

A Republican and a Trump ally, Hoekstra has been a fierce defender of US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, saying they are meant to secure the safety and prosperity of Americans.

He has also described the relationship between the two countries critical.

But his time in Canada has not been low key.

There was a dust-up between Hoekstra and Ontario’s trade representative, and the ambassador has been criticised for reposting Trump’s comments about Canada becoming the 51st state and telling reporters it would be a “great discussion to be had”, external by the leaders of the two countries.

Most recently, he faced criticism for inviting one of the leaders of the 2022 Freedom Convoy movement to his official Fourth of July celebration.

He has also described some of the political rhetoric in Canada as “anti-American” and has frequently expressed frustration at the decision by most provinces to remove US alcohol from store shelves – a key point of friction in the current trade talks.

The petition for his recall will be tabled in parliament later this year by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.

In a statement to the BBC, May’s office said that “she has an obligation to sponsor petitions brought forward by citizens, regardless of whether she personally agrees with what the petition is asking for”.

The House of Commons allows for Canadians to submit petitions, and there are dozens open at any given time, many receiving just a few hundred signatures.

Once a petition, which must be submitted by a Canadian resident, is authorised by member of parliament, it is posted on parliament’s website. If it reaches at least 500 valid signatures, it is then presented in the House and requires a government response.

The petition reached that bar as of Wednesday morning, garnering more than enough support to be presented in Canada’s House of Commons.

It comes at a time when Canadian negotiators are working urgently to avert a planned 50% American tariff on roughly $20bn to $28bn in Canadian goods.

Last month, Trump announced the proposed tariffs in retaliation for what he called “unequal treatment” of US cars, dairy and alcohol.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney warned in response that a potential further retaliation was on the table if the new tariffs were enforced.

Canadian media have reported that an interim deal could be reached by Ottawa and Washington in the coming days.