YouTube AI slop channels falsely claim Ottawa expelled US ambassador
- Published on January 9, 2026 at 19:13
- 3 min read
- By Gwen Roley, AFP Canada
After a year of brittle relations between the North American neighbors, online posts claimed diplomatic ties between Canada and the United States finally broke down with the expulsion of US Ambassador Pete Hoekstra. However, both the US embassy in Ottawa and Global Affairs Canada confirmed Hoekstra remains in place. The fake report originated with a group of YouTube channels churning out unverified stories on US-Canada relations presented by AI-generated anchors.
"What we're witnessing is nothing short of a diplomatic meltdown between the United States and Canada," American lawyer George Conway appears to say in a January 1, 2026 YouTube video with more than 100,000 views.
In the nearly 23-minute long clip the speaker stiltedly reports on the lead-up to and economic fall-out from Hoekstra's alleged expulsion, invoking the real trade war which saw the United States and Canada exchange retaliatory tariffs throughout 2025.
AFP identified over 20 videos on YouTube promoting the same claim using the likeness of Conway, as well as American journalists Rachel Maddow and Kaitlan Collins and economist Jeffrey Sachs. Posts on Facebook and X as well as online articles also spread the supposed reports.
US President Donald Trump abruptly scrapped negotiations aimed at easing economic tensions between the two countries after Ontario Premier Doug Ford aired an anti-tariff ad during the October 2025 Major League Baseball playoffs (archived here). Local media reported after the episode that Hoekstra was heard on a profanity-laced tirade against an Ontario trade representative and the US ambassador has since publicly criticized Canada's approach to US relations.
The strained relationship between the United States and Canada has produced numerous misleading claims and the posts purporting Hoekstra was expelled from Ottawa are similarly false.
"U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra remains in his position," a spokesperson at the US embassy in Ottawa said in a January 7, 2026 email to AFP (archived here).
That same day Global Affairs Canada confirmed to AFP Hoekstra "remains in his role."
Most of the channels behind the videos were full of similar content impersonating news commentators while largely focusing on exciting but unverified headlines on Canada-US relations. About half were created within the last two months.
The clips were further connected with titles mimicking the same language -- iterations of "Trump's Ambassador Kicked Out of Canada -- Diplomatic Crisis Explodes" appear several times -- and identical voice-over tracks.
Some -- but not all -- of the videos spreading the claim that Hoekstra had been kicked out of Canada included a brief warning label applied through YouTube explaining the clip contained AI elements (archived here). Others displayed split-second disclaimers before the main presentation or descriptions which denied endorsement by the people featured in the clips.
"AI-assisted narration or visuals may be used for clarity," one summary adds.
Despite these qualifiers, comments under the videos indicate that many users credulously consumed the clips without realizing they were made using artificial intelligence.
The content uses a style similar to a group of "spam" channels reported on by AFP and the Canadian Press, which discuss a sensationalized version of Canadian politics in apparent cash-for-clicks schemes.
Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation and artificial intelligence here.
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