TORONTO (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump drew criticism Wednesday for celebrating election victories by a Quebec separatist and a British Columbia Conservative, days after his administration accused Canadian politicians of interfering in U.S. elections.
With U.S. midterm elections approaching, Trump shared an article portraying the Quebec victory as a setback for Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and hailed the Conservative win in British Columbia as evidence of the party’s growing strength.
But neither election was a referendum on Carney, whose federal Liberal Party is separate from British Columbia’s provincial Conservatives. Analysts say both results reflected provincial politics, not declining support for the prime minister.
“Congratulations to Paul St-Pierre Plamondon on his WIN!” Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social, more than three weeks after the Quebec separatist leader’s Oct. 5 election victory. Trump linked to an article headlined “Separatists win Quebec provincial election in blow to Mark Carney.”
Trump also congratulated British Columbia’s premier-designate, Lorne Doerkson, on his “Big Victory,” adding: “Conservatives are moving strong in Canada!” The post came one minute before his congratulations to Quebec’s separatist leader.
The posts come amid Trump’s trade war and repeated threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state. St-Pierre Plamondon has criticized Trump’s tariffs and ruled out holding a Quebec independence referendum while Trump remains president.
Trump’s trade war with Canada has become an issue in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, particularly in Michigan and Maine, where Republican candidates have faced pressure over tariffs hurting local businesses. Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers has called for an end to the tariff war.
“It is highly unusual for a U.S. President to comment on Canadian provincial politics or to congratulate provincial election winners,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
Béland said neither result should be interpreted as a rejection of Carney, whose popularity has been bolstered by his response to Trump.
Nelson Wiseman, a University of Toronto political scientist, said Trump misunderstands Canada’s Conservatives, noting that Doerkson has criticized Trump’s tariffs and called him a bully.
Doerkson spoke with Carney on Tuesday, with both leaders emphasizing cooperation on economic growth and investment.
“Carney’s popularity is at a stratospheric level,” Wiseman said. “The more Trump attacks Canada and Carney, the more popular Carney becomes.”
The U.S. Embassy in Ottawa last week accused Canadian politicians of seeking to influence the Nov. 3 midterms. It cited Industry Minister Mélanie Joly’s comments about targeting Republican states with retaliatory tariffs and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s U.S. advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs.
The embassy also cited 11 Canadians charged with illegally voting in U.S. elections between 2012 and 2026, without linking the cases to the Canadian government.
Carney rejected the allegations, saying they had “no merit,” and expressed disappointment with U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra.
Asked Wednesday whether the Trump administration was setting up Canada to be the fall guy if Republicans suffer heavy losses in the U.S. midterms, Carney laughed.
“That’s an interesting way of framing it,” Carney said, before adding that Canada would pursue a trade deal with Washington only when it served Canadian interests.
Béland warned that the accusations could foreshadow a “Blame Canada” narrative if Republicans suffer losses in the midterms.
“It is absurd for President Trump to comment on Canadian provincial politics while the U.S. embassy in Canada is falsely claiming that country is interfering in the U.S. midterms,” Béland said.
Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford, not shown, participate in a joint news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea launched a barrage of ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters Thursday, South Korea’s military said, days after the North threatened to resume front-line propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts and deploy new weapons along the rivals’ tense border.
The launches also followed leader Kim Jong Un’s surprise weekend visit to China, the North's main ally and economic pipeline, to push for greater cooperation.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected about 10 short-range ballistic missiles fired from the North's eastern costal town of Wonsan and that they each flew about 250 kilometers (155 miles). It said South Korea's military maintained its readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid alliance with the United States.
Japan's Defense Ministry said it detected a suspected ballistic missile launch by North Korea.
Animosity between the Koreas have deepened since last month’s land mine blasts at the border that injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul accused North Korea of planting mines south of the military demarcation line and demanded it apologize. But Pyongyang has denied responsibility for the explosions and warned of retaliation if provoked.
Last week, North Korea said it would restart propaganda broadcasts and place new weapons systems on alert along the border in protest of what it called repeated warning shots by South Korean troops at border areas. South Korea later proposed talks on clarifying the border to prevent accidental clashes, but North Korea hasn't responded.
During a visit to a South Korean border town earlier this week, Associated Press journalists saw North Korean artillery guns located on the other side of the border, which weren't previously visible.
In recent years, North Korea has been placing more mines, barbed-wire fences and other defense structures along the border in line with Kim's policy of severing ties with South Korea. Seoul has said North Korean troops have repeatedly violated the border during the work and that South Korea's military has responded with firing warning shots. North Korea has denied the alleged border breaches.
Thursday's launches were the latest in a series of weapons tests by North Korea in recent weeks, which included submarine-launched cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles. Experts say North Korea likely aimed to pressure the U.S. into making bigger concessions as President Donald Trump expressed his desire to restore diplomacy with Kim.
On Saturday, Kim visited the Chinese border city of Dandong via a newly inaugurated bridge to pay respect at a memorial marking China’s support of North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. It was his sixth visit to China since succeeding his father as North Korean leader in late 2011.
At the memorial, Kim said North Korea will firmly carry forward “the invincible" friendship with China. Later he met top Chinese Communist Party official Wang Huning and reaffirmed his resolve to develop bilateral cooperation.
Kim has recently taken steps to bolster ties with China after years of prioritizing ties with Russia by sending troops and ammunitions to support its war against Ukraine.
Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
North Korean soldiers stand near a military guard post, top left, as North Korea's artillery weapons, bottom, are seen from the observatory in Gimpo, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korean soldiers work near their military fences as seen from the observatory in Gimpo, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korean soldiers stand near a military guard post, top left, as North Korea's artillery weapons, bottom, are seen from the observatory in Gimpo, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
North Korea's artillery weapon is seen from the observatory in Gimpo, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
FILE - In this photo provided by the North Korean government, its leader Kim Jong Un delivers a speech during a session of the Supreme People's Assembly at parliament in Pyongyang, North Korea, on March 23, 2026. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP, File)
