A Canadian parliamentary petition calling for the expulsion of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has cleared the threshold needed for formal presentation in the House of Commons, with organisers and the government citing sharply different signature totals. The petition accuses Hoekstra of interfering in Canadian political affairs and normalising talk of Canada becoming the "51st state" of the United States, and it is due to be tabled by Green Party leader Elizabeth May later this year.
The US embassy told a national broadcaster it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further on its contents.
What does the petition allege?
The document, launched by a woman in Calgary, accuses Hoekstra of "making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse" and of having "normalised the Trump administration's threats to annex Canada as the '51st state'" of the US. It calls for him to be formally removed from his post and asks a parliamentary committee to examine "U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs." It also raises alarm over contacts between US State Department officials and Albertans pushing for the province to separate from Canada.
What has Hoekstra actually done since arriving in Canada?
Hoekstra, a Republican and a close ally of President Trump, has been an outspoken defender of the administration's trade agenda, framing it as necessary for American safety and prosperity, and he has called the bilateral relationship critical. His tenure has nonetheless been marked by friction: he clashed publicly with Ontario's trade representative, drew criticism for reposting Trump's musings about Canada becoming the 51st state, and told reporters it would be a "great discussion to be had" between the two countries' leaders. He most recently faced backlash for inviting a leader of the 2022 Freedom Convoy movement to his official Fourth of July celebration, and he has repeatedly labelled aspects of Canadian political rhetoric "anti-American," while voicing frustration over most provinces pulling US alcohol from store shelves — a persistent irritant in the trade talks.
How reliable are the signature figures?
Accounts of the petition's support vary considerably. This report states more than 60,000 Canadians signed it, but according to the official House of Commons petition record, the document — numbered e-7531 — closed for signature on 21 July 2026 with 29,186 validated signatures. A separate House of Commons petition, e-7124, which asked MPs to review Hoekstra's conduct, closed on 25 June 2026 with just 37 validated signatures, according to the same parliamentary database. A third, unrelated push on Change.org gathered 28,073 signatures after it was created on 28 September 2025. Regardless of the exact tally, the House of Commons requires only 500 valid signatures for a petition to be presented and to require a government response, a threshold this petition met comfortably by Wednesday morning.
What else does the official petition text say?
The parliamentary filing goes further than the summary in earlier reporting, according to the official petition document. It states Hoekstra described annexation rhetoric as a "term of endearment" and characterised the 2025 Canadian federal election itself as "anti-American." The same filing says US State Department officials met three times with the Alberta Prosperity Project, a separatist-leaning group, between April 2025 and January 2026 — encounters the petition's authors cite as evidence of interference in domestic Canadian politics. The petition's demand that Hoekstra be declared persona non grata invokes a diplomatic mechanism that can effectively force an envoy to leave a host country, as noted by a regional outlet covering the story.
An earlier House of Commons petition filed on 25 February 2026 had already flagged concerns about Hoekstra's conduct and urged MPs to weigh diplomatic responses, including a possible recall, suggesting unease over his tenure predates the current filing by several months.
How does this connect to the wider trade dispute?
The controversy comes as Canadian and American negotiators race to finalise terms before steep new tariffs take effect. Last month Trump announced tariffs of up to 50% on billions of dollars in Canadian goods, citing what he called "unequal treatment" of US cars, dairy and alcohol, and Prime Minister Mark Carney warned that further retaliation remained on the table if the measures went ahead. That threat has since hardened: Trump signed an order imposing a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian imports, due to take effect on 19 August, and the White House confirmed the tariffs would apply to most Canadian goods following a 30-day window. Canada's dairy sector has also been drawn back into the dispute, with its supply management system tied directly to the tariff threat, according to separate reporting on the trade fight. Canadian media have suggested an interim deal between Ottawa and Washington could still emerge within days.
What happens next?
The e-7531 petition is now closed to further signatures as of 21 July 2026, and its next formal step is presentation in the House of Commons once scheduling permits, according to the parliamentary petition record. Green Party leader Elizabeth May is set to sponsor its tabling. Her office told a national broadcaster:
she has an obligation to sponsor petitions brought forward by citizens, regardless of whether she personally agrees with what the petition is asking for
Canadians can submit petitions to the House of Commons at any time, and dozens are typically open simultaneously, most drawing only a few hundred signatures before a sponsoring MP forwards them for posting on parliament's website.
Key Facts
- The petition seeks the formal removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra and a parliamentary review of alleged US interference in Canadian politics.
- Official House of Commons records list 29,186 validated signatures for petition e-7531, closed 21 July 2026, versus the 60,000-plus figure cited elsewhere.
- A related petition, e-7124, closed 25 June 2026 with only 37 validated signatures.
- The filing alleges three meetings between US State Department officials and the Alberta Prosperity Project between April 2025 and January 2026.
- Green Party leader Elizabeth May is expected to table the petition in parliament later this year.
