The Canadian Press reported that Global Affairs Canada told diplomats in the United States to avoid meetings and events with midterm candidates amid a dispute over whether Canadian tariff advocacy amounts to election interference.
The wire service said it obtained a memo directing diplomats who encounter a candidate or elected official to avoid being photographed together. It also said the memo tells them to keep their names and official positions out of public communications in those circumstances.
The report follows an Oct. 21 fact sheet from the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. The embassy described public statements and actions by Canadian officials as efforts to shape U.S. politics and urged Canadians not to take part in or influence U.S. elections. Its examples included Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s remarks about countertariffs and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s anti-tariff campaign.
The fact sheet also named 11 Canadians whom the embassy said had been charged or sentenced for illegal voting in U.S. elections. The Associated Press reported that the document did not link those cases to Canada’s government.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada’s actions served Canadian workers, families and the country’s economy. Ford said he had no interest in interfering in U.S. elections. Joly described her approach as “diplomacy” and said tariffs were hurting people on both sides of the border, Global News reported. EconoTimes previously covered the embassy’s objections to Canadian tariff pressure.
Leah West, a national security law professor at Carleton University, told Global News that Canada was seeking to influence elected officials but that the activity described did not meet the threshold she cited for a threat or crime under Canadian law. The Brennan Center for Justice describes interference as conduct that disrupts election administration, while influence can include efforts directed at candidates or voters. The center says the First Amendment protects Americans’ ability to speak and obtain information from domestic or foreign sources.
U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said in an interview that Washington would respond if Canadian activity amounted to election interference, but he did not specify what action that would involve. The FEC’s calendar sets Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for the next regularly scheduled federal general election.
