Trump’s Canadian Ambassador Pete Hoekstra Suffers Public Humiliation
Kevin Lamarque / REUTERS Canadians are giving President Donald Trump a kick in the teeth.
More than 100,000 people have signed a petition to declare U.S.
Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra “persona non grata,” in the latest blow to historically poor diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The 72-year-old has shared Trump’s Truth Social posts describing Canada as the 51st state and normalizing his boss’s threats, with ABC News reporting he dismissed it as a “term of endearment.” The petition not only demands Hoekstra be ousted, but calls on Canada’s Liberal government to speak with the U.S. about “the pattern of conduct by Ambassador Hoekstra inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.” It also attacked him for “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol,” CBC News reports.
The petition was only opened on July 21 and will remain active until November.
It also linked the former Netherlands ambassador to an American voter ID app, which has been used by separatists in Alberta to find potential supporters’ addresses and names.
The petition was made by Calgary woman Leanne Walker and was brought forward by Green Party MP Elizabeth May.
Canadian citizens can establish petitions on the government’s parliamentary petition portal, and if it has a minimum of five signatures and a member of parliament is prepared to present it, the government has to respond within 45 days.
Walker spoke to CBC News on Wednesday, saying that while she didn’t think the government would turf Hoekstra out, she “hopes the petition will send a message.” “It’s beyond what I expected out of this,” she said.
“It tells me that it’s not a fringe issue, and that a lot of Canadians are uncomfortable with how Hoekstra has been repeating Trump talking points about our sovereignty and Canada as a whole.” She added: “Words from someone in his position carry immense weight, and normalizing that kind of rhetoric can have real consequences.” The U.S. and Canada are locked in vital trade negotiations, kick-started by Trump’s sprawling tariff policy at the start of his second term.
Trump warned that a 50 percent levy would be placed on a huge tranche of Canadian goods if a deal isn’t reached.
As the deadline approaches next week, negotiators are reported by CBC , citing sources, to be some way off an agreement suitable to both sides.
Asked whether her petition could jeopardize a deal, Walker said, “The turmoil already exists.
It’s just one-sided right now.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House, the U.S. embassy in Ottawa, and the State Department for comment.
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