A petition to oust U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra has garnered over 215,000 signatures as of Monday, as the two countries grapple with a deteriorating trade relationship and increasing animosity between their leaders.
The push to remove Hoekstra comes as a new wave of 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products imported to the U.S. are set to go into effect Wednesday — the latest in a series of duties President Donald Trump has imposed on America’s longtime ally and neighbor to the north.
The petition asks the Canadian government to declare Hoekstra “persona non grata,” a latin phrase meaning unwelcome person, which would prohibit him from entering the country.