US embassy accuses Canadian politicians of interfering in midterm elections

The US embassy in Ottawa has accused prominent Canadian politicians of trying to influence the November 3 midterm elections, escalating the trade war between the two countries (Al Jazeera, The Hindu).

In a fact sheet issued on Wednesday, the embassy singled out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for her comments about targeting US products and retaliatory tariffs, Ontario Premier Doug Ford for his government’s anti-tariff advertising campaign, and Liberal MP Anthony Housefather. The statement also named 11 Canadians charged with illegally voting in US elections, without linking the cases to Canada’s government. It did not explain how the officials’ public efforts to influence US trade policy amounted to election interference.

Mark Carney and Ford both rejected the accusations at a joint press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday (Politico via Ukrinform/Mezha).

Carney said he had spoken with Donald Trump earlier that day about trade, Iran and the Middle East, and unveiled an 8.7 billion Canadian dollar plan to shield steelmakers, automakers and critical mineral development in Ontario (TBS News). “US tariffs have upended a trade bargain that’s existed for decades,” he said. Ford said there was no going back: “No matter what happens in the midterms, no matter who sits in the White House, we’re not going back to the way things were.”