U.S. Embassy in Ottawa accuses Canada of interfering in elections

The Trump administration is accusing several prominent Canadian politicians of trying to influence politics and elections in the United States. The accusations were presented Wednesday by the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa in an information sheet distributed to journalists, according to POLITICO.

The unsigned document names Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, and Bernadette Jordan, a former minister in the Liberal government and Canada’s current consul general in Boston.

The embassy claims that the Canadian government is ignoring concerns about possible interference in U.S. elections, even though members of the government and provincial premiers allegedly presented plans to influence U.S. politics publicly, in official documents and statements.

The U.S. administration did not provide details in the information sheet about specific actions that would have affected the electoral process. The message comes after Peter Navarro, economic adviser to President Donald Trump, recently warned Canadians not to interfere in the United States’ midterm elections. The accusations risk escalating political tensions between Washington and Ottawa.