Canada has reportedly instructed its diplomats to avoid interacting with US midterm election candidates, fearing accusations of interference from the Trump administration.
Written guidance issued earlier this week ordered Canadian officials stationed in the United States not to meet with candidates, or even occupy the same room, without special permission.
Bloomberg first reported the directive Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter, prompting The Hill to reach out to the Canadian Foreign Ministry and the Canadian Embassy in Washington for comment.
Under the new rule, Canadian diplomats may still meet with sitting US lawmakers who are not seeking reelection but cannot appear in photos alongside them or other elected American officials.
Glen Linder, assistant deputy minister for the Americas at Global Affairs Canada, sent a memo midday Tuesday to members of the foreign service operating in the United States.
The memo, obtained by The Canadian Press, instructs diplomats who find themselves “in the same physical space” as a candidate or elected official to avoid being photographed or having their name or position appear in any public communications materials.
The guidance emerged just one day after the US Embassy released its own memo accusing Canadian politicians of attempting to interfere in American elections.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford both rejected those claims, according to the Associated Press.
The embassy’s fact sheet specifically named Canada’s industry minister, Mélanie Joly, who publicly discussed Washington’s duties against Ottawa impacting Republican states and contributed to an anti-tariff ad quoting former President Reagan that aired during the 2025 World Series.
Embassy officials also stated in the memo that 11 Canadians had been charged in connection with illegally voting in US elections.
US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra warned earlier this month that American officials are “closely watching” Canadian politicians for signs of election interference, telling them to keep their “nose out” of American politics before the midterms.
Hoekstra specifically cited Joly’s comments about targeting retaliatory tariffs at “politically sensitive states” as a central example of the conduct drawing scrutiny from Washington.
At a news conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, Carney, flanked by Joly, pushed back by pointing out that the United States had initiated trade actions against Canada in the first place.
The US Embassy closed its statement with a pointed declaration, writing that “Americans decide America’s elections.”
