Hoekstra made headlines in June by saying that Canada's annexation by the United States would be a great topic of discussion for Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Hoekstra told a crowd in Halifax last September that he was disappointed and frustrated by the "anti-American" tone in the most recent federal election campaign. He said it was dangerous for Canadian political leaders to describe the Trump administration's tariff campaign as a trade war.