Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday that U.S. allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month’s U.S. midterm elections have “no basis.” Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Turkey, Carney dismissed a fact sheet released Wednesday by the U.S. Embassy in Canada accusing Canadian politicians of seeking to influence U.S. policy, the AP reports.
- “The Canadian government dismisses concerns about possible interference in U.S. elections, even as its ministers and prime ministers openly describe its intention to influence U.S. policy in official documents and public appearances,” the embassy said.
Carney said Canadian diplomats were careful to avoid even the appearance of election interference and expressed disappointment with U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. “These claims have no basis,” Carney said. “I am disappointed that their envoy sees it as his role to make these suggestions.” Carney suggested that senior U.S. officials had themselves sought to influence Canadian policy. Trump has repeatedly threatened to make Canada the 51st US state. Sources told Bloomberg earlier this week that Canadian diplomats in the United States had been told to keep a low profile ahead of the midterm elections. The sources said officials were barred from meeting or being photographed with candidates running in the midterms unless special permission was granted.
- In its fact sheet, the American embassy singled out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for discussing retaliatory tariff measures targeting Republican states, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford for airing an American ad featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump canceled trade talks with Canada after the ad aired during the World Series in October 2025.
- The embassy also cited 11 Canadians accused of voting illegally in U.S. elections between 2012 and 2026, without linking those cases to the Canadian government.
- McGill University political scientist Daniel Béland dismissed the embassy examples as evidence of foreign interference, saying the suggestion that Canada could significantly influence the U.S. midterm results was absurd. He warned that the allegations could lay the groundwork for blaming Canada if Republicans lose seats.
- Asked if Canada could be held responsible for Republican midterm losses and face additional tariffs, Carney said he didn’t expect that. “There has been a very wide range of justifications for U.S. tariffs, and there is almost an entire industry to justify them,” he said.
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