Canadian diplomats barred interacting with US midterm candidates: Reports

Canada has allegedly barred its diplomats from interacting with U.S. midterm candidates to avoid any allegations of election interference from the Trump administration, according to multiple reports.

Written guidance issued earlier this week reportedly ordered Canadian officials based in the U.S. not to meet with candidates — or even be in the same room with them — without special permission, Bloomberg first reported Thursday , citing people familiar with the matter.

The Hill has reached out to the Canadian Foreign Ministry and the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.

Under the new rule, Canadian diplomats can still meet with U.S. lawmakers not seeking reelection but cannot appear in photos alongside them or other American elected officials, sources told Bloomberg. The ban remains in effect until Election Day.

Reports surrounding this guidance came a day after the U.S. Embassy released a memo accusing Canadian politicians of trying to interfere in American elections. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected these claims, The Associated Press reported.

The embassy’s fact sheet to Canadian politicians pointed specifically to the country’s industry minister, Mélanie Joly — who talked publicly about Washington’s duties against Ottawa impacting Republican states and contributed to the release of an anti-tariff ad quoting former President Reagan, which aired during the 2025 World Series.

Embassy officials also said in the memo that 11 Canadians had been charged in connection with illegally voting in U.S. elections between 2012 and 2026.

Canada has 130 Canadian diplomats and 254 federal employees, along with 356 American staffers, working on diplomatic missions in the U.S., CBC reported in July . They operate across 12 consulates across the country, from Boston to Los Angeles.

The move comes after trade negotiations between the U.S. and Canada fell apart in August. Trump hit Carney with 50 percent tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods. The prime minister swiftly retaliated with taxes he said would “match Washington’s new tariffs dollar for dollar in order to protect Canadian workers, farmers, families and businesses.”

Carney said Wednesday Trump’s tariffs have raised costs for Americans, and he spoke with the president for “quite some time” about these issues. He and Ontario Premier Doug Ford rejected any claims of Canadian interference with the midterms.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra said earlier this month U.S. officials are “closely watching” the actions of Canada’s politicians for any possible election meddling, CBC reported . J o ly clapped back, saying Canada would never interfere and would “never accept that also being done to us in Canada.”