U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told a private business lunch in Ottawa on Tuesday that Canada could be blamed if key races in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections go against Republicans, CTV News reported.
According to three sources cited by CTV News, Hoekstra named the Senate races in Michigan and Maine. Republicans need to win both states to keep control of the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 vote.
The reported remarks come as Washington steps up accusations that Canadian officials are meddling in the campaign. The fight over Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods has become a campaign issue in several states.
What Hoekstra is reported to have said
The sources told CTV News that Hoekstra delivered the message at a closed-door lunch at his official residence in Ottawa. According to their account, he told the business audience that if Michigan and Maine fall to the Democrats, things will likely get harder for Canada after the midterms because the president will not be happy, and Canada could be blamed.
CTV News said it was not naming the sources because they were not authorized to disclose details of the off-the-record meeting.
A U.S. embassy spokesperson told CTV News that the "reported comments are grossly taken out of context from a broader discussion." The spokesperson did not say what that broader context was.
"The ambassador has consistently said that the Canadian media is attempting to overstate the relevance of Canadian issues in American elections. As we have previously stated, Americans will decide American elections based on issues that are important to them," the spokesperson said.
Beth Burke, CEO of the Canadian American Business Council, which helped organize the lunch, said the event was meant to be off the record. She also said the comments were being taken out of context. "The ambassador spoke very positively about the U.S.-Canada relationship and his hopes that a deal will be reached," Burke said.
Is Canada accused of interfering in the U.S. midterms?
Yes. According to CTV News, Hoekstra has accused Ottawa of election interference in recent weeks and warned Canada to "keep your nose out."
The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa released a "fact sheet" on Wednesday listing instances that it said could amount to "potential interference in U.S. elections," CBC News reported. The list included:
- Liberal MP Anthony Housefather canvassing for a Florida Democrat during a primary earlier this year. Housefather has said the candidate is a friend.
- Comments by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly on Canada's counter-tariff strategy, some dating to March 2025, when she was in charge of foreign affairs.
- The Ontario government's Ronald Reagan ad that ran in the United States last year.
- A federal government billboard campaign from early 2025.
According to CBC, the embassy issued the list after Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian politicians had dismissed earlier suggestions that Canadian officials were trying to influence the outcome.
Trump's own record of endorsing foreign candidates
Critics say the administration's own record undercuts the accusation. CBC reported that Trump has endorsed about half a dozen candidates around the world since returning to the White House in early 2025. They include presidential or prime ministerial candidates in Poland, Honduras, Colombia and Japan.
According to CBC, Trump backed former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán's failed re-election bid, which included Vice-President JD Vance appearing at a rally in Budapest. CBC also reported that Trump voiced support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of an election. In last year's Argentine midterms, Trump suggested that a financial support package depended on a good result for President Javier Milei's party.
During Canada's 2025 campaign, Trump wrote on social media that he'd "rather deal with a liberal than a conservative." At the February inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace, he said: "I'm not supposed to be endorsing people." He added: "As long as it works, it's OK with me."
"The truth is that this administration has had a long track record of intervening directly into the elections of official allies," Daniel Drezner, a professor of international politics at Tufts University, told CBC News. Former U.S. ambassador to Canada James Blanchard told CBC that the administration has "no credibility" on the issue, given Trump's endorsements.
Former president Barack Obama endorsed Justin Trudeau in 2019 and 2021, and Sen. Bernie Sanders backed former NDP leader Jagmeet Singh in 2021. Drezner said those cases were different because neither man was part of the executive branch at the time. He said heads of state or government typically do not weigh in on foreign elections.
The embassy declined to comment when CBC asked whether a Canadian official endorsing a midterm candidate would amount to potential election interference.
How Trump tariffs on Canada became a midterm issue
According to CTV News, Trump's tariffs on Canadian products have become a key midterm issue, both in border states and further south. Last week, the president reversed some tariffs affecting Maine in a bid to save Republican Sen. Susan Collins' re-election bid, CTV reported. In Michigan, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is campaigning against the tariffs.
CTV News reported that polling shows Trump facing an increasingly hostile electorate, with Republican prospects eroding less than a week before the vote. As of Tuesday, the non-partisan Cook Political Report rated the House of Representatives as leaning toward the Democrats and the Senate as a toss-up.
Trade talks between the two governments have intensified at the same time. According to CTV News, Ottawa believes the political pressure created by the midterms has opened space in the negotiations, but officials remain cautious and skeptical about where the talks will lead.
In public this week, Hoekstra struck a more conciliatory tone. At a Canadian American Business Council event on Monday, he said the United States wants a deal "as soon as possible." On Tuesday, the embassy posted a video of him with Canadian Ambassador to the U.S. Mark Wiseman at a tree-planting ceremony. The tree was one of 250 that Canada gave the United States to mark its 250th anniversary.
The embassy has not said what broader discussion Hoekstra's remarks were taken from. Voters in Michigan and Maine go to the polls on Tuesday.