Carney won't expel U.S. envoy over '51st state' rhetoric

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday that Canada will not expel the U.S. ambassador for amplifying President Donald Trump's latest reference to Canada as the "51st state."

Trump made the comment Monday on Truth Social while sharing an article about Canada falling into technical recession. U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra then shared a screenshot of Trump's post on his official X account Tuesday.

When asked if the government would ask Hoekstra to leave, Carney replied flatly: "The short answer is no, to the second part of your question." He noted that the U.S. is Canada's biggest trading and security partner. "It's an administration that we have to work with. We take the administration as it is."

A U.S. Embassy spokesperson said amplifying Trump's posts "is our usual practice."

The comment has tested Canadian tempers. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called Trump's remark "ridiculous, and it's never going to happen," but cautioned against letting it distract from domestic crises. "We have to make sure that we don't allow ridiculous comments like that to distract us from the very real suffering that Canadians are experiencing," he said, pointing to food insecurity and inflation.

Hoekstra has previously dismissed Canadian concerns about Trump's "51st state" rhetoric, saying he doesn't understand why Canadians are upset and urging them to focus on bilateral cooperation instead. A House of Commons petition calling for his expulsion has drawn 14,600 signatures since February.

Carney noted Tuesday that trade talks are continuing. Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc was in Washington meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with negotiations ongoing on renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico trade agreement ahead of a July 1 deadline.