Ex-US Ambassador To Canada Says Americans Should Stop 'Interfering' In Canadian Issues

Former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman has called on Americans to stop interfering with "Canadian domestic issues," after U.S. groups sent money to protesters in Canada and Donald Trump called Justin Trudeau a "far left lunatic."

Heyman — who was U.S. ambassador under President Barack Obama — posted a series of tweets at the weekend denouncing Americans who are becoming embroiled in the ongoing Freedom Convoy demonstrations across Canada.

“Under no circumstances should any group in the USA fund disruptive activities in Canada. Period. Full stop,” he said late on Saturday.

Heyman's tweet appears to be referencing reports that many financial donations to the Freedom Convoy's multi-million dollar GoFundMe page had come from the United States.

In another tweet, the ex-ambassador wrote, "Canada US relations used to be mainly about solving technical issues. Today Canada is unfortunately experiencing radical US politicians involving themselves in Canadian domestic issues."

He added, "Trump and his followers are a threat not just to the US but to all democracies.”

A few days earlier, former president Donald Trump spoke out about the Canadian convoy, calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a "far left lunatic [...] who has destroyed Canada with insane Covid mandates."

Trump also claimed that GoFundMe was denying access to money that belongs to the Freedom Convoy, after the company announced it would be returning all donations.

Prominent U.S. Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis complained about the change too, describing it as a "fraud" and promising to "investigate these deceptive practices."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also tweeted, saying, “Patriotic Texans donated to Canadian truckers’ worthy cause.”

He added, "This BLM-backing company went woke, froze the funds, & failed to deliver Texans’ money. Today I assembled a team to investigate their potential fraud & deception. Texas donors will get Justice!"

In response, former ambassador Heyman asked, "How is it many Republicans are publicly more “concerned” about events in Canada than Russia?"

In another tweet, he added, "Remember January 6th. This wasn’t 'legitimate political discourse.' Let’s not let the American radicalized encourage this behavior again at home or abroad."

On Sunday, the same day that Ottawa officially declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing protests, Heyman wrote, "Sending my personal best wishes to all of Ottawa during this difficult time. Be safe."

A police report from Sunday confirmed that seven people had been arrested in Ottawa, while over 100 tickets had been issued for various offences.

Those who remain protesting in the city say they're not going to leave until all COVID-19 measures have been lifted.