Thousands of Canadians call for US ambassador's expulsion

More than 60,000 Canadians have signed a petition calling for the US ambassador in Ottawa to be expelled for undermining diplomatic relations between the two neighbours.

The online petition accuses Pete Hoekstra of "making repeated interventions in Canadian political discourse" and of having "normalised the Trump administration's threats to annex Canada as the '51st state'" of the US.

In a statement to the BBC, the US embassy said it was aware of the petition but declined to comment further.

Canada and the US are currently engaged in intense period of trade talks, aiming to reach an agreement before new US tariffs take effect next Wednesday.

The petition, launched by a woman in Calgary, also raises concerns about meetings in Washington between the US state department officials and some Albertans who want the province to separate from Canada.

It requests Ambassador Hoekstra be formally removed from his role, and a parliamentary committee review "U.S. diplomatic interference in Canadian domestic affairs".

A Republican and a Trump ally, Hoekstra has been a fierce defender of US President Donald Trump's trade policies, saying they are meant to secure the safety and prosperity of Americans.

He has also described the relationship between the two countries critical.