Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday there is "no merit" to US allegations that Canadian politicians are interfering in next month's US midterm elections. Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Turkey, Carney rejected a fact sheet issued Wednesday by the US Embassy in Canada accusing Canadian politicians of seeking to influence American politics, the AP reports.
- "The Canadian government brushes off concerns about potential interference in US elections, even as its ministers and premiers openly describe plans to influence American politics 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 US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. "There is no merit to these claims," Carney said. "I'm disappointed that their envoy sees that as his role, to make these suggestions." Carney suggested senior US officials had themselves sought to influence Canadian politics. Trump has repeatedly threatened to make Canada the 51st US state. Sources told Bloomberg earlier this week that Canadian diplomats in the US have been told to keep a low profile ahead of the midterms. The sources said the officials had been banned from meeting or being photographed with candidates running in the midterms, unless special permission is granted.
- In its fact sheet, the US embassy singled out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for discussing retaliatory tariffs targeting Republican states, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford for airing a US advertisement 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 charged with illegally voting in US elections between 2012 and 2026, without linking the cases to Canada's government.
- McGill University political scientist Daniel Béland dismissed the embassy's examples as evidence of foreign interference, saying the suggestion that Canada could significantly influence the US midterm results was absurd. He warned that the allegations could lay the groundwork for blaming Canada if Republicans lose seats.
- Asked whether Canada could be blamed for Republican losses in the midterms and face additional tariffs, Carney said he did not expect that. "There have been a very broad range of justifications for US tariffs, and there's almost an industry to create justifications for them," he said.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
