Hoekstra petition is a message to Washington—if anyone is listening
The call to dump American Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra is growing. E-7531 is a House of Commons online petition, which had more than 106,000 signatures on Aug. 13.
The petition, launched by a Calgary woman, is slated to be presented to Parliament by Green Party Leader Elizabeth May when the House of Commons reconvenes in the fall.
According to a weekly rolling average, almost 3,000 people were signing the petition daily before it made the national news and momentum grew.
The petition calls on the government to declare Hoekstra persona non grata and secure his removal from the country. It accuses the ambassador of making statements that undermine the relationship between Canada and the United States, and “making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse inconsistent with diplomatic protocol.”
The ambassador has criticized what he characterized as an “anti-American tone” in the last election.
The Canadian government does have the power to expel diplomats, but it is a tool used very infrequently. Past diplomats have been expelled for allegations of spying, foreign interference, and criminal acts.
Hoekstra claims he is simply representing the views of U.S. President Donald Trump, and in that respect he is correct.
The petition also states that before Hoekstra became ambassador, he was linked to a Michigan-based voter identification app which was recently used by Alberta separatists to collect signatures for the Centurion project.
The Alberta Prosperity Project, a separatist group, says it has held multiple meetings with the U.S. State Department, although Hoekstra says the Trump administration has not met with those individuals.
The petition is claiming that the actions of Hoekstra, in promoting the annexation of Canada and working with separatists, is a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
It was Trump who continually raised the issue of annexing Canada, so the petition to kick Hoekstra out of the country reflects Canadians’ discontent with the political positions taken by the U.S. president.
Hoekstra has stated he is upset over the lack of American liquor on Canadian sales shelves, and by the decision of many Canadians to boycott travelling to the U.S.
Those positions are also a reflection of his government’s current position. Like it or not, Hoekstra is generally repeating the inane ruminations of his president.
But if we kick out the American ambassador for saying bad things, what about the status of other countries that do bad things?
Russia is currently involved in an illegal attack on Ukraine, but Ambassador Oleg Stepanov is still functioning in his office on Charlotte Street in Ottawa.
What would be the repercussions of removing the American ambassador?
You can rest assured that if Hoekstra were to be kicked out of Canada, our ambassador would not remain in Washington for long. Mark Wiseman's tenure would be terminated, as well, leaving Canada in a very difficult position when it comes to negotiating the bilateral trade agreements that are currently under discussion.
Tabling a parliamentary petition can be done by any Member of Parliament, and it does not even mean the MP is in support of the document.
House of Commons rules require members to table valid petitions, but they are usually tabled by the MP in the constituency where the petition originated. In this case, tradition dictates that it should have been a Calgary parliamentarian since petition originator Leanne Walker lives in Calgary.
The petition itself does not require a vote of the House, but the document is also calling for the creation of a parliamentary committee to examine American interference in Canadian politics.
That may happen because it is something that could be of interest to representatives in every political party. It will also shine a light into the links between Alberta separatists and American supporters of Canadian annexation.
There is little likelihood that Hoekstra will be declared persona non grata. The legal and political ramifications would simply be too great to justify such a move. With a trade agreement hanging in the balance, the dismissal would be seen by the Americans as a direct slap in the face to the president.
But the fact that so many Canadians would support removal should send a message to Washington—if anyone is listening: if you want to sell your liquor to Canadians, or encourage them to visit your country, you need to stop bullying us.
Hoekstra may be a blunt messenger, but his message is directed by the Oval Office.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister, and is a former deputy prime minister.
The Hill Times