By and large, Canadians are nice. They are easy-going. They are trusting. They tend to laugh at themselves. They are very polite; they even say “sorry” when someone else bumps into them. They’re not brash. And they certainly don’t go about throwing out ambassadors on a whim. So, I was surprised to hear that a nice Calgarian lady by the name of Leanne Walker has started a petition to oust the current US Ambassador to Canada — Pete Hoekstra.  

The pointed petition

The petition is short and to the point. It lists five charges against Hoekstra:

1. “U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has repeatedly made public statements undermining the Canada-U.S. diplomatic relations, including characterizing the 2025 Canadian federal election as ‘anti-American.’”
2. “Ambassador Hoekstra has normalized the Trump administration’s threats to annex Canada as the ‘51st state,’ describing such rhetoric as a ‘term of endearment.’”
3. “Ambassador Hoekstra has accused Canada of interfering in US domestic politics while himself making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol.”
4. “Ambassador Hoekstra has been linked to a Michigan-based voter identification app used by the Alberta separatist Centurion Project, while claiming no knowledge of its use.”
5. “The Alberta Prosperity Project met with U.S. State Department officials three times between April 2025 and January 2026, with Hoekstra claiming no knowledge of those meetings, raising serious questions about U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian unity.”

The petition also calls on the Canadian government to:

Formally declare Pete Hoekstra persona non grata and request his removal as U.S. Ambassador to Canada, raise with the United States the pattern of conduct by Ambassador Hoekstra inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and direct a parliamentary committee to review U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs.

Others who have got the boot

Interestingly, for a nice country, Canada has a bit of a history of expelling diplomats. In 2024, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, linking them to the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In 2023, Canada expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei after an intelligence report revealed he was involved in gathering information targeting Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Chong and his family. In 2018, Canada expelled four Russian diplomats in solidarity with the UK, which was a response to a Russian-backed nerve gas attack against a dissident on British soil. In 2017, Canada expelled Venezuela’s ambassador, Wilmer Armando Barrientos Fernandez, in a retaliatory move two days after Venezuela kicked out Canada’s top diplomat in Caracas. In 2012, Syrian diplomats were expelled in response to the Syrian civil war. In 1991, Iraqi diplomats were expelled to protest Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait. 

There have been several other diplomats who have been expelled — but never an American.

Pete’s persistent provocations

Canada and the US have shared one of the closest and most peaceful relationships in modern history. They share language, culture (music, movies and fashion trends), sports leagues (think NHL, NBA, MLB) and even enemies. Over the past 100 years, they have fought on the same side in several wars — including both World Wars, the Korean War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War and, most recently, the Russia-Ukraine War. Thus far, Canada has felt secure under the American security umbrella. And Canada has been taking its cues on foreign policy from the US. 

A few years ago, it was Canada that detained Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the US and paid for it by destroying its relationship with China. And despite all the recent American rhetoric about Canada being subsumed by the US, it is still not uncommon to see retired, wealthy Canadians wintering in the US. In fact, in the minds of some (seemingly including US President Donald Trump), Americans and Canadians are the same — with the border being a mere formality and therefore erasable.

But Hoekstra may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. In his short time as US Ambassador to Canada, he has made many, many undiplomatic — if not downright aggressive — statements.

In May 2025, Hoekstra was asked about Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state. He brusquely told CBC: “It’s over. Move on.” He also told CBC’s The House that Canadians should “get over the 51st state thing,” stating that neither he nor US President Donald Trump were talking about annexation — despite several previous remarks made by Trump. In an interview with Politico, Hoekstra protested against Canadian pushback, saying, “It’s outrageous that you banned American products from your shelves.”

In June 2025, Hoekstra claimed in a CBC interview that Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney sees “51st state” as a “term of endearment.” Later that summer, at an economic conference in the US, “There are reasons why the president and some of his team refer to Canada as being mean and nasty to deal with” — implying that Canadians should not react to US tariffs by boycotting US travel and alcohol. 

That fall in Halifax, he vented his anger against Canada with several statements: “I’m disappointed that I came to Canada,” “very, very difficult to find Canadians who are passionate about the American-Canadian relationship” and referring to the federal election, “It was an anti-American campaign.”

In an interview with The Hill Times, Hoekstra was asked about Canadians’ anger over Trump’s annexation rhetoric and tariffs. He said, “I’m not very sympathetic” to Canadian outrage. When asked if he thinks Canada is the 51st state, he replied, “That’s a great discussion for the president and the prime minister to have.”

In October 2025, Hoekstra directed an expletive-laden tirade at Ontario’s trade representative during an event in Ottawa. “Hoekstra could be heard using the F-word and also mentioned Ontario Premier Doug Ford by name.”

In January 2026, during an interview in Montreal, he said, “We do not need Canada.”  On June 1, Trump posted the message “51st State” on his Truth Social. The following day, Hoekstra reposted the message.

Some people on both sides of the border brush off such comments as mere rhetoric, boys being boys or negotiating tactics. That could all very well be true — except that, beginning this weekend, a mind-boggling 50% tariff has been threatened on all Canadian products entering the US. This is in direct violation of the US-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA). Basically, since Donald Trump became president, the US has been trying to coerce Canada into full submission: “American dominance in the Western hemisphere will never be questioned again.” And in this mission, Hoekstra is playing a very enthusiastic part.

Nice but ….

We may be nice, but nice does not mean stupid or spineless. And given a referendum on Alberta separation looming on the horizon and suspicions of “foreign interference”, we may also be particularly sensitive. At last count, the petition had already gathered over 190,000 signatures. And since the petition only closes mid-November, there is time for that number to grow substantially. 

Carney said in May that he would not ask Hoekstra to leave his position. Perhaps this petition with its hundreds of thousands of signatures will make Carney rethink. In these difficult times, we need diplomacy more than ever, and Hoekstra is no diplomat. And in diplomacy, it takes two to tango. We won’t get very far in trade or other discussions with the US if only diplomats are on the Canadian side. 

Ultimately, this petition may not amount to much action. It may not push Carney to expel Hoekstra because there may be many other factors (obvious and subtle) for him to consider when doing what is overall best for Canada in the long run. But it will show both the Canadian and US governments several things: the level of Canadians’ general displeasure with current Canada–US relations and negotiations, Canadian pride and our refusal to quietly acquiesce to a foreign power.

[Kaitlyn Diana edited this piece.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.