Over 29,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra to be declared persona non grata and removed from Canada, citing a pattern of statements that the petition says undermine the Canada-U.S. diplomatic relationship. The petition, launched by a woman from Calgary, will be presented to the House of Commons in the fall by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, according to reporting from The Canadian Press and CBC News.
The online petition accuses Hoekstra of making statements that undermine the Canada-U.S. relationship and of “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol.” It calls on the Liberal government to formally declare Hoekstra persona non grata and request his removal, and to direct a parliamentary committee to review U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian affairs.
Hoekstra, a former Michigan congressman and ambassador to the Netherlands, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025, to serve as ambassador to Canada. His tenure has been marked by controversial statements that have drawn criticism from Canadian officials and the public.
In June 2026, Hoekstra said that Canada’s annexation by the United States would be a “great discussion” for Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Trump. He also shared a Trump post referring to Canada as the “51st state,” which reignited tensions over U.S. acquisition rhetoric, according to The Hill and CBC News.
Earlier, in September 2025, Hoekstra told a crowd in Halifax that he was disappointed and frustrated by the “anti-American” tone in Canada’s most recent federal election campaign. He said it was dangerous for Canadian political leaders to describe the Trump administration’s tariff campaign as a trade war. He has also repeatedly criticized Canadian politicians for discouraging travel to the U.S. and for removing American liquor from store shelves.
A persona non grata declaration is a tool under the UN’s Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations that allows a government to strip diplomatic immunity from an individual and force them to leave the country. Canada has used this power in the past, most recently in 2023 when it declared Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei persona non grata after an intelligence report accused him of targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong by gathering information about his family in Hong Kong. A year later, Canada expelled six diplomats and consular officials from India after the RCMP alleged they were involved in a campaign targeting Canadian citizens linked to the June 2023 murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C., according to CBC News.
When asked about the petition, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa said the embassy is aware of it but declined to comment further. Responding to reporters in Canada who have challenged his comments, Hoekstra said it’s his job to “present the president’s views.”
Sources
- The Canadian Press — petition signature count, launch by Calgary woman, presentation by Elizabeth May, Hoekstra’s statements on anti-American sentiment and tariffs
- CBC News — petition details, Hoekstra’s June 2026 “great discussion” comment on annexation, persona non grata explanation, precedent of China and India diplomat expulsions
- The Globe and Mail — petition details and Hoekstra’s annexation comments
- The Hill — Hoekstra sharing Trump’s “51st State” post
- U.S. Embassy official sources — confirmation of Hoekstra’s April 9, 2025 Senate confirmation
