"It has really sent a signal of alarm here that the ambassador may be coming a bit too close to what the general population deems acceptable."

"The message, I think, has been received at the other end."

"Other than the satisfaction of seeing results, superficially, I would not think that, looking at it the day after and the day after that ... I'm not sure that there would be much to gain."

"Maybe one feels good by expelling an ambassador but what happens the day after?"

Anne Leahy, former Canadian ambassador to Russia

 

"That career diplomat [alternative] would probably not have the access to key people in the Trump administration because they weren't appointed by President Trump."

"Given the damage that's been done, you do need to have someone who is an expert on U.S.-Canada relations, who's well-respected on both sides of the border, to take up that role."

"[And that message is] that Pete Hoekstra is not the right person for this job."

"At this point, it needs to be the Trump administration to withdraw him." 

Andrew Hale, fellow, Advancing American Freedom, Washington 

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra takes part in the PNWER (Pacific Northwest Economic Region) Annual Summit, in Edmonton Monday July 20, 2026. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

 

The American Ambassador to Canada under the Trump administration has been called out for his role in exacerbating to a degree the already-strained relations between the U.S. and Canada, over issues relating to the imposition of steep trade tariffs under the pretense of 'unfair trade practices' on the part of Canada, taking advantage of the United States, Canada's largest-by-far trade partner, and mutual-defense ally. A citizen-led list of signatures in support of having Ambassador Hoekstra removed from Canada has gained steam. A quarter-of-a-million Canadians have so far signed the petition.

 

Apart from the imposition of steep tariffs, President Donald Trump's oft-repeated jibes of Canada becoming the '51st state' have left Canadians with a feeling of deep resentment. Ambassador Hoekstra's penchant for making light of it, and his puzzlement over Canadians' growing hostility toward the White House he serves has failed to endear him to Canadians. Once the petition has been closed to accepting new signees in several months' time, it will  be presented to Parliament for consideration.

 

Canada's Green Party leader, Elizabeth May was quick to sponsor the petition, offering in her official role as a Member of Parliament, to table it. Ms. May knows the unlikelihood of the petition being passed with unanimity, much less the unpalatable likelihood of Prime Minister Carney agreeing to seek the Ambassador's expulsion. His own relationship with Donald J. Trump is rather on the spontaneously prickly side, and no action that he can take to further distance President Trump's good graces toward Canada would be a wise move.

 

Arguing that Washington should nonetheless recall Ambassador Hoekstra from Canada, and with little expectation that Canada would pursue the Ambassador's expulsion, Andrew Hale feels that sufficient damage has been done to the relationship of two nations coexisting with the longest border in the world as friends and cooperative partners economically and politically. Petition e-7531, drafted by Calgary resident Lelanne Walker, calls on Ottawa to declare the Ambassador persona non grata.

 

Once the petition is presented to Parliament ,a 45 day period within which he government must respond would take place. In Mr. Hoekstra's absence, should the situation develop to that end, the Embassy could be left in charge of a charge d'affaires; the embassy's deputy chief of mission who would be a career State Department officer. According to Mr. Hale, that could leave Ottawa minus an envoy with political access of a presidential appointee.

 

Former Canadian ambassador to Russia, Anne Leahey, who was herself in the position of being declared persona non grata in 1988, suggests allowing the petition to speak for itself; a public message sent to emphasize Canadians' displeasure with the blunt performance of a man purporting not to be a diplomat, but assigned to that role, nonetheless. 

 

Colin Robertson, on the other hand, as another former Canadian diplomat, believes that Mr. Hoekstra serves his purpose, whether or not he listens to Canadians to relay their views to the White House. Believing that an ambassador who can reflect the President's views, is an important conduit for both Canada and the United States.   

"It goes way beyond that [the aggressive advocacy by a U.S. ambassador]. It is Trumpian. We've never had an ambassador like Hoestra." 

"I think he probably ... can pick up the phone and get through too the chief of staff and cabinet officials."

"What I don't know is how much he's transmitting our message.  I don't see evidence of that."

"I think it's more important that we have him here so we know we have an accurate read whenever we need it on where the administration is coming from."

Colin Robertson, vice-president, Canadian Global Affairs Institute 

Pete Hoekstra is seen campaigning for U.S. President Donald Trump in November 2024. The U.S. ambassador's comments about Canada, including on the possibility of becoming the 51st state, have caused tens of thousands of Canadians to call for him to be expelled. (Rebecca Cook/Reuters)