U.S. accuses Canadian officials of trying to interfere in November midterms

The United States accused Canadian officials of openly discussing plans to influence the November midterm elections; Prime Minister Mark Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly rejected the accusations.

The United States has accused some Canadian officials of seeking to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections in November, saying in a briefing note that they dismissed concerns about interference and openly discussed plans to influence American politics.

The note cited meetings between Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly and U.S. Democratic politicians, Canadian statements about retaliatory tariffs targeting U.S. states, and calls by Ontario Premier Doug Ford for trade retaliation. It also pointed to an Ontario government ad campaign using excerpts from a speech by former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs, and to 11 Canadian citizens accused of illegally voting in U.S. elections.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford

Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the accusations as he announced 8.7 billion Canadian dollars in investments and new measures to counter the economic uncertainty caused by U.S. tariffs, saying it was Washington that first took trade action. Ford and Joly also rejected the claims.