Recall U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra — It’s Time for Him to Leave Canada

Premier Doug Ford Was Right to Stand Up, and Canada Should Back Him All the Way

By: Donovan Martin Sr, Editor in Chief

There comes a moment in every nation’s relationship when courtesy must give way to clarity — and that moment has arrived. The United States Ambassador to Canada, Pete Hoekstra, has embarrassed his office, insulted our country, and shown the world what happens when arrogance replaces diplomacy. His unhinged tirade against Ontario officials over Premier Doug Ford’s Reagan-Trump commercial was more than bad behaviour — it was a blatant act of disrespect toward Canada itself.

Let’s be blunt: Hoekstra should be recalled. Immediately. Not reprimanded, not quietly “talked to” behind closed doors. Recalled. Sent home. His actions have crossed every diplomatic line, and his presence in Ottawa now undermines the very partnership he’s supposed to uphold.

When the U.S. ambassador — a guest in this country — verbally attacks a Canadian province for airing a lawful, factual, and powerfully effective advertisement, he’s no longer functioning as a diplomat. He’s functioning as an enforcer for a volatile president’s ego. Ford’s ad used Ronald Reagan’s own words to remind Americans that tariffs hurt workers on both sides of the border — and for that, Ontario was cursed out by the U.S. envoy. Think about that. An ambassador, losing control of himself in a fit of anger over a truth he didn’t like.

That isn’t diplomacy; it’s a meltdown. It’s a tantrum unworthy of a representative of any nation, let alone one that calls itself our ally.

And Doug Ford was right to demand an apology. Right to say Hoekstra’s conduct was “unbecoming of an ambassador.” Frankly, that’s putting it mildly. A man who cannot control his temper, who uses profanity to intimidate Canadian officials, has no place serving in a diplomatic post. The ambassador’s job is to smooth tensions, not stoke them. If he can’t handle legitimate criticism from a foreign government — especially one expressed through a Reagan-era message about economic fairness — then he’s out of his league.

This was not a minor faux pas or a single “bad day.” This was a complete abdication of diplomatic decorum. The American ambassador to Canada exploded because he didn’t like the optics of a commercial that struck too close to home — one that exposed how Trump’s trade tactics hurt Americans as much as Canadians. That’s not Ford’s problem. That’s the ambassador’s insecurity showing.

And Ford? He handled it exactly as Ontarians expected him to — with backbone. He didn’t roll over. He didn’t apologize for defending his province. He stood tall and told the ambassador what every Canadian was thinking: you don’t talk to us that way. We may be polite, but we’re not pushovers.

The outrage over Ford’s ad — and the ambassador’s meltdown — has done something extraordinary: it’s reminded Canadians that we’ve become far too comfortable being treated as America’s polite little brother. For decades, we’ve absorbed tariffs, trade slights, and political bullying with the same tired refrain — “Don’t make it worse.” But what’s worse than being talked down to in your own capital by a foreign diplomat who can’t tell the difference between a Premier and a punching bag?

Doug Ford’s ad wasn’t an attack on Americans. It was a wake-up call. It told the truth about protectionism — that tariffs are taxes, that they drive up costs for U.S. families, and that they cripple cross-border industries that have kept both countries prosperous for generations. That message wasn’t “anti-American.” It was pro-fairness, pro-reality, and pro-worker. If that truth offends an ambassador, then maybe diplomacy isn’t his calling.

Pete Hoekstra’s outburst wasn’t just unprofessional — it was undignified. And it’s symptomatic of something deeper: a U.S. administration that has forgotten that friendship requires respect. Canada doesn’t owe Washington silence or submission. We owe our citizens strength, independence, and self-respect.

So when Premier Ford stood up, aired that ad, and refused to back down, he wasn’t grandstanding. He was doing exactly what Ontarians — and Canadians — elected him to do: defend our jobs, our industries, and our sovereignty. We don’t elect our leaders to hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” while the U.S. hammers us with tariffs. We elect them to fight when we’re being treated unfairly.

And make no mistake — Ford fought. He stood toe-to-toe with the biggest bully on the continent and said, “Not this time.” That’s leadership. That’s courage. That’s the kind of grit that defines this country — the same grit you see in every hockey rink from Windsor to Thunder Bay. Canadians are polite, yes, but when someone cheap-shots us, we don’t skate away. We drop our gloves.

Trump’s volatility has always been a fact of life. One day he praises Canada; the next, he punishes us. That’s not partnership; that’s coercion. And if we can’t count on the American ambassador to remain composed under that kind of pressure, then what’s he doing here? Canada needs representatives across the table who can negotiate, not bark orders.

Pete Hoekstra is not that man. His job was to preserve the integrity of U.S.–Canada relations. Instead, he embarrassed himself and strained them further. His tirade has made him a liability to the very alliance he was sent to strengthen. His recall is not just appropriate — it’s essential. Keeping him in Ottawa sends the message that Canada will tolerate disrespect. Sending him home sends the message that we won’t.

Ford’s detractors are missing the forest for the trees. They whine about tone, optics, and “provocation.” But the reality is simple: Ontario’s Premier stood up when others would’ve stayed quiet. He took the hit, threw one back, and made it clear that Canada is no one’s lapdog. That’s not aggression — that’s pride. And it’s long overdue.

We should be thanking Doug Ford, not lecturing him. Because his stand forced the world to look at Canada not as a passive neighbour, but as a partner with a backbone. The Reagan ad wasn’t just a statement; it was a shot of adrenaline into a country that’s grown too accustomed to apologizing for defending itself.

And it worked. It got global attention. It sparked debate. It reminded Americans — and us — that Canadians won’t just “go along to get along.” We are fair, but firm. Cooperative, but not compliant.

The ambassador’s tantrum has only made Ford look stronger and Canada more resolved. And that’s exactly how it should be. If Hoekstra can’t handle the heat of open discourse, if he can’t represent his country with dignity and restraint, then he doesn’t deserve the privilege of representing it at all.

Send him home. Recall him. Replace him with someone who understands what diplomacy means.

Because Canada deserves better than an angry mouthpiece for American insecurity. We deserve respect. We deserve partners, not bullies. And if Premier Doug Ford’s courage to stand tall has reminded Washington of that truth — then we’re all better off for it.

Canadians may be polite, but we’re also hockey players. We don’t back down. Not on the ice, and not in politics. And we won’t start now.