More than 60,000 Canadians have signed an online petition calling for the expulsion of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra from Ottawa. The petition accuses Ambassador 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.
The petition also raises concerns about meetings between US state department officials and some Albertans who seek the province's separation from Canada. It requests a parliamentary committee review of "U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs."
Ambassador Hoekstra, a Republican and an ally of US President Donald Trump, has defended US trade policies and has been criticised for reposting Mr. Trump's comments about Canada becoming the 51st state. He also faced criticism for inviting a leader of the 2022 Freedom Convoy movement to an official Fourth of July celebration.
The US embassy stated it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further. The petition, which has garnered enough support, will be presented in Canada's House of Commons and will be tabled in parliament later this year by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.
This development occurs as Canada and the US are engaged in trade talks to reach an agreement before new US tariffs are scheduled to take effect next Wednesday. These planned tariffs, announced by Mr. Trump last month, could impose a 50% duty on an estimated $20 billion to $28 billion in Canadian goods.