Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday dismissed accusations that Canada planned to interfere in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, saying he was disappointed by comments from the American ambassador.
‘There is no merit to these claims,’ Carney told reporters during an official visit to Türkiye. ‘I’m disappointed their envoy sees that as his role to make these suggestions.’
He said Canada had no intention of interfering in the 3 November elections, which will decide control of the U.S. Congress.
On Wednesday, the U.S. embassy in Canada said Ottawa ‘brushes off concerns about potential interference in U.S. elections, even as its ministers and premiers openly describe plans to influence American politics’.
A week earlier, U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra told a podcast that his message to Canadians was to ‘keep your nose out of American politics’.
The exchange underlines the strained state of relations between the two neighbours since Canada walked away from talks on a possible trade deal in late August, citing unreasonable U.S. demands.
U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed a raft of tariffs on Canadian imports and has repeatedly suggested he could annex the country. At home, his approval rating is at record lows, and polls suggest his Republican Party will perform poorly in the midterms.
Asked whether Trump could use poor election results as a reason to impose more tariffs on Canada, Carney said he did not think that was likely.
The collapsed trade talks had been intended in part to reduce some of the tariffs. Carney said Canada was in no rush to sign a deal and, for the first time, suggested Ottawa could wait until Trump’s term ends.
‘If it has to be months from now or longer than that, or another administration before a proper deal comes into place, we will do that,’ he said.
Carney’s visit to Türkiye is part of a wider push to reduce Canada’s heavy reliance on the U.S. economy. During the trip, the first official visit to Türkiye by a Canadian prime minister, Ottawa and Ankara upgraded their ties to a strategic partnership covering trade, defence, energy and people-to-people links.
‘It’s absolutely clear where I stand, where Canada stands, where Canadians stand. We will never be the 51st state. We are going our own way,’ Carney said.
German police have detained a suspect after a major fire broke out at the historic Kehlsteinhaus, known as the “Eagle’s Nest&rdqu...
Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as strong winds and torrential rain brought down tr...
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Friday dismissed accusations that Canada planned to interfere in next month’s U.S. midterm elections, ...
Saudi Aramco has ordered staff to evacuate its headquarters amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Two people were killed in an attack on Dammam airport, while Iran's IRGC Navy claimed strikes on seven vessels and warned the U.S. of a wider response.
Israeli military bulldozers have begun demolishing buildings in the West Bank city of Hebron on Friday, 23 October, following armed clashes with Palestinians that left two Israeli soldiers dead, according to the Israeli military.
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight killed at least two people and injured 15 others, including two children, Ukrainian authorities said. Meanwhile, Russia said it had intercepted the vast majority of 630 Ukrainian drones launched towards Moscow.
Super typhoon Champi is set to batter Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture from Friday (23 October), bringing violent winds, torrential rain and waves up to 11 metres high, as airlines cancel flights and organisers scrap a major festival.
A powerful magnitude 7 earthquake has struck Tibet in southwestern China, killing 16 people and injuring 65, while forcing more than 12,000 residents to relocate as rescue teams respond to widespread aftershocks.
German police have detained a suspect after a major fire broke out at the historic Kehlsteinhaus, known as the “Eagle’s Nest”, a mountain retreat once used by senior Nazi officials, including Adolf Hitler.
Typhoon Champi swept past Taiwan on Saturday, leaving one person dead and more than 500 injured as strong winds and torrential rain brought down trees, cut power and disrupted transport across the island.
Kenya has recorded a second death from Ebola, the health ministry said late on Friday, as the outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread across Africa.
Gunmen opened fire on mourners at a church funeral in southern Jordan on Friday, killing at least seven people in a rare attack on the country’s Christian minority that has raised fresh questions about security in the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday described a deadly shooting in the towns of Trappes and La Verrière, west of Paris, as a racist attack and ‘a turning point’ for the country.
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