Canadian Petition Tops 170,000 Signatures Seeking Hoekstra's Removal as Trade War Sours Ties
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 15
Canadian Petition Tops 170,000 Signatures Seeking Hoekstra's Removal as Trade War Sours Ties
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 15
Summary
More than 170,000 people have signed a Canadian parliamentary petition seeking the removal of U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, up from just over 104,000 two days earlier.
Just 500 signatures are needed for a petition to reach Parliament, and Green Party leader Elizabeth May is expected to bring this one forward for debate in the fall.
The petition says Hoekstra damaged U.S.-Canada relations by echoing Donald Trump's "51st state" rhetoric, reposting annexation jabs and dismissing Canadian outrage as "emotional."
It also accuses him of improper political interference, citing repeated meetings between Alberta separatist activists and U.S. State Department officials.
The campaign reflects a broader rupture in a relationship strained by a U.S.-Canada trade war and by Trump's return to office.