Woman behind petition to oust U.S ambassador says response is 'beyond what I expected'

Woman behind petition to oust U.S ambassador says response is 'beyond what I expected'

Petition with more than 70,000 signatures to be presented in House of Commons

The woman behind a petition calling for U.S. President Donald Trump's representative in Ottawa to be kicked out of the country says it's grown beyond her expectations.

The online petition, which is set to be presented in the House of Commons in the fall, says Pete Hoekstra should be declared persona non grata and the Canadian government should request his removal as U.S. ambassador to Canada.

More than 70,000 people had signed the petition as of Wednesday evening, approximately double the number of signatures 24 hours earlier.

"It's beyond what I expected out of this," said Lee Walker, the Calgary-based woman behind the petition, in an email to CBC News.

"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."

Tens of thousands of Canadians call for U.S. Ambassador Hoekstra to be expelled

Walker's petition accuses Hoekstra of making statements that undermine the Canada-U.S. diplomatic relationship and of "making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol."

The petition also says Hoekstra has normalized the Trump administration's threats to annex Canada. The ambassador made headlines in June after saying that Canada's annexation by the United States would be a great topic of discussion for Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Walker said comments like that from an ambassador aren't appropriate.

"Words from someone in his position carry immense weight, and normalizing that kind of rhetoric can have real consequences," she said.

Hoekstra has also said it's dangerous for Canadian political leaders to describe the Trump administration's ongoing tariff campaign as a trade war and has criticized Canadian politicians who have responded to the tariffs by discouraging travel to the U.S. and for pulling American liquor off of shelves.

The petition also calls on the Liberal government to direct a parliamentary committee to review U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian affairs.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa declined to comment on the petition except to say the embassy is aware of it.

When asked about the potential impact the petition could have amid sensitive trade talks between the U.S. and Canada, Walker said there's already tension between the two countries.

"The turmoil already exists. It's just one-sided right now," she said.

Walker said her intention is to make clear "that respect for Canada and its sovereignty isn't optional or up for negotiation."

Canadian and American negotiators have been going back and forth in recent weeks in an effort to reach some sort of deal before Aug. 19, which is when Trump has promised a 50 per cent levy on hundreds of Canadian goods in addition to the sectoral tariffs already in place.

Canadian petition calls to expel U.S. ambassador

Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc has been in Washington to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer three times in as many weeks. CBC News previously reported that the two are aiming to present Trump with a path to a potential trade deal as early as Monday.

The petition will be presented in Parliament by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May in the fall. Members of Parliament can table petitions in the House of Commons without endorsing their contents.

As for what she wants to happen once it's presented, Walker said she's not sure the government will take steps to declare Hoekstra persona non grata, but hopes the petition will send a message.

"This sort of conduct from a sitting ambassador isn't something we'll just shrug off," she said.

Brock Wilson is a senior writer and producer for CBC News, based in Toronto. He produces episodes for Rosemary Barton Live and About That with Andrew Chang and writes digital stories. You can reach him at brock.wilson@cbc.ca.

With files from Cassie Argao and The Canadian Press