US accuses Canada of election interference ahead of midterms

Washington cites Canadian tariffs, political meetings and anti-Trump ads as evidence of attempted election interference. Save Share The United States has accused Canadian politicians of trying to influence its midterm elections, pointing to Canada’s efforts to push back against President Donald Trump’s tariff campaign. In afact sheetreleased on Wednesday, the US embassy accused Canada of being dismissive of its allegations of election interference. “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,” the fact sheet reads. The two countries have been locked in a trade war since the start of Trump’s second term in 2025, with Canada responding to US tariffs with import taxes of its own. But the US embassy identified public statements about the tariffs as being attempts to sway the November 3 midterm election. Among the politicians singled out in the fact sheet was Canadian Industry Minister Melanie Joly. The fact sheet pointed to comments Joly made in August about responding to Trump’s tariffs. “We’re also targeting products that will target states in the US. And so we’re being wise and strategic to put political pressure,” Joly said at the time. The embassy also took issue with Joly’s meetings with Democratic officials in Boston and Chicago in September. When asked by a reporter what she thought might happen with regard to tariffs if Democrats won the midterms, she said, “That’s exactly why I’m meeting so many governors and potential presidential candidates.” Joly hasrejectedthe suggestion that her actions could amount to interference, saying Canada would never meddle in US elections. She said her meetings with US politicians, both Democratic and Republican, were about building Canada’s economy. “Fundamentally, what I’ve done in the US is to attract investments,” she told reporters on October 14. The embassy also pointed to Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s calls for retaliatory measures on US products, as well as his government’s advertising campaign against Trump’s tariffs, launched last year. The campaign, which featured clips of former US President Ronald Reagan criticising tariffs in a 1987 radio address, prompted Trump to call off trade talks with Canada in October 2025....