Over 60,000 Canadians demand removal of US ambassador Pete Hoekstra

More than 60,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for the removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, accusing him of undermining diplomatic relations and interfering in Canadian domestic affairs.

The online petition, launched by a Calgary resident, calls on Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to declare Hoekstra "persona non grata" and seek his formal removal. It alleges that Hoekstra has made "repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol" and has normalized the Trump administration's push to make Canada the 51st US state.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May is expected to present the petition to the House of Commons when Parliament resumes this fall. According to recent reports, the petition has attracted more than 29,000 signatures, though the initial figure cited was over 60,000.

Hoekstra, a former Republican congressman from Michigan and longtime Trump ally, has made several public comments that drew criticism in Canada. In June, he said Trump and Carney should have a "great discussion" about Canada becoming the 51st state, following Trump's repeated suggestions about annexing Canada. He has also waded into other bilateral disputes, warning that the US-Canadian defense relationship "would have to be altered" if Canada backed away from its planned purchase of American-made F-35 fighter jets. He has criticized what he called "anti-American" rhetoric from Canadian politicians and objections to Trump's tariffs.

The petition also calls for a parliamentary committee to review alleged US diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs, citing concerns about meetings in Washington between US State Department officials and some Albertans seeking provincial separation from Canada. It argues that Hoekstra's conduct violates the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

When contacted by the BBC, the US embassy said it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further.