More than 70,000 Canadians have signed a parliamentary petition calling for the removal of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, accusing him of repeatedly interfering in Canadian domestic politics by amplifying Trump administration rhetoric about absorbing Canada as a "51st state." The petition, launched by a Calgary resident and set to be tabled in Canada's House of Commons by Green Party leader Elizabeth May, also raises alarm over reported meetings between US State Department officials and Alberta separatists. The move comes as Canadian and American negotiators race to strike a trade agreement before new US tariffs — targeting up to $28 billion in Canadian goods — take effect next week.