The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa has put Canada’s leaders on notice, publishing a fact sheet on Wednesday that lists statements by Canadian ministers and a provincial premier it says show plans to influence American politics ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to the embassy’s release and reporting by the BBC and the Associated Press.
The document, titled “Monitoring Canadian Activities in U.S. Politics,” opens by quoting Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said on Oct. 16 that foreign governments should not “get themselves involved in our elections,” and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, who said on Oct. 14 she “would never do that.” The embassy then argues 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.”
US Embassy in Ottawa accuses Canada of election meddling https://t.co/84VJDaHsvv
— POLITICO (@politico) October 21, 2026
Joly’s own words
Much of the fact sheet relies on Joly’s past remarks. According to the embassy, Joly met with Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September and, when asked what she expected on tariffs if Democrats won the midterms, answered, “That’s exactly why I’m meeting so many governors and potential presidential candidates.” The embassy attributes that quote to La Presse Canadienne.
The embassy also cites an Aug. 25 government press conference in which Joly said Canada was “targeting products that will target states in the U.S.” in order “to put political pressure.” It quotes her saying in March 2025 that Canada was putting “pressure on American businesses, in key Republican states to put pressure on the Trump Administration.”
Ford, ads and a Florida campaign stop
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is the other main target. The embassy says Ford sent Carney a letter in August urging retaliatory tariffs on imports from “politically significant states to the current administration’s base of support.” It also points to Ontario’s CAD $75 million anti-tariff ad campaign built on excerpts from former President Ronald Reagan, quoting Ford’s pledge to “repeat that message to every Republican district there is.” The AP noted that President Trump abruptly canceled trade talks with Canada after that ad aired during the World Series in October 2025.
The fact sheet further says Liberal MP Anthony Housefather campaigned in Florida in August for Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and that Canadian Consul General Bernadette Jordan appeared on Oct. 13 at a Vermont trade roundtable with only Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Becca Balint and Jim McGovern.
Illegal voting cases
The embassy also states that at least 11 Canadians have been charged or sentenced in 2026 for illegally voting in U.S. elections held between 2012 and 2024, citing the Justice Department. The AP reported that the embassy did not link those cases to Canada’s government. The release closes: “All Canadians should refrain from attempting to participate in or influence U.S. elections in any way. Americans decide America’s elections.”
Ottawa pushes back
Canadian leaders rejected the charge. Asked about it on Wednesday, Carney said the United States started the trade actions and that Canada responded “to protect Canadian jobs, to protect Canadian companies,” according to the BBC. Ford said he has “no interest at all” in interfering in U.S. elections, the BBC reported. CBC News reported that Joly has said her U.S. trips were meant to attract investment.
The BBC noted that Carney made his remarks while announcing a roughly C$9 billion aid package for Canadian industries hit by U.S. tariffs, with Joly and Ford at his side. With less than two weeks until Election Day, the embassy’s message to Ottawa was blunt: the trade fight is one thing, but campaigning in American races is another.
Sources
- U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada: Fact Sheet, Monitoring Canadian Activities in U.S. Politics
- BBC News
- Associated Press
- CBC News
- POLITICO on X
Sources cited
Sources
- Original post: POLITICO (@politico) on X, Oct 21, 2026
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