Joly pushes back on U.S. embassy accusations of meddling in American elections
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly has pushed back against accusations from the U.S. embassy in Ottawa that she sought to meddle in U.S. elections. She made the remarks to The Globe and Mail on Thursday in Toronto.
"We would never, and I would never, interfere in U.S. elections because I would expect the Americans not to interfere in our own elections. Period."
Joly said she was "just doing my job." She said her role is to advocate for the interests of Canadians. She also said she has not been told to back off.
Earlier this week, the embassy circulated comments by Joly and other leaders about the politics of Canada's trade strategy. The embassy warned that Canadians ought not "participate in or influence U.S. elections." It was the second time this month that the embassy had made the election-meddling allegation. Embassy material also included quotes from Joly about pressuring American businesses and targeting U.S. states in Canada's trade response, according to CityNews.
The Prime Minister's Office and Global Affairs Canada, the federal department that runs Canada's diplomacy, pointed to past public comments rejecting claims of political meddling.
Global Affairs Canada has also given its diplomats guidance on public contact with U.S. politicians before the U.S. midterm elections on Nov. 3. The department sent initial guidance on Oct. 1. It discussed the matter again last week at a regular meeting with its U.S. mission network, and sent a summary to staff at its missions on Tuesday.
The guidance memo was sent by Glen Linder, assistant deputy minister for the Americas, a senior department official. It said diplomats in the same physical space as a candidate or elected official should avoid being photographed. It also said their name or position should not appear in public communication materials.
Global Affairs Canada spokesperson John Babcock said that limiting public events and stakeholder engagement during election periods in a host country is standard practice.
