A petition calling on the Canadian government to declare U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra “persona non grata” and remove him from his diplomatic post has surpassed 104,000 signatures.

The petition was launched through Canada’s official parliamentary petitions system, which allows Canadian citizens and residents to submit petitions for consideration by Parliament.

Under parliamentary rules, a petition that meets the required conditions and is formally presented by a member of Parliament requires the Canadian government to issue a written response within 45 days.

The petition seeking Hoekstra’s removal was submitted by Leanne Walker of Calgary and is sponsored by Green Party MP Elizabeth May.

It calls on the Canadian government to remove Hoekstra and raise concerns with Washington over what it describes as a “pattern of conduct” inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

Among the concerns cited is Hoekstra’s response to President Donald Trump’s repeated rhetoric about Canada becoming the “51st state” of the United States.

The petition accuses Hoekstra of normalizing those remarks, pointing to his previous description of the language as a “term of endearment.”

Hoekstra has also shared Trump social media posts referring to Canada as the 51st state. When asked in June whether Canada should become an American state, Hoekstra said the matter was “a great discussion for the president and the prime minister to have.”

The petition also cites Hoekstra’s reported connections to an American voter identification application that has been used by Alberta separatists to identify potential supporters of a referendum. Hoekstra has denied knowing that the application was being used by the separatist movement.

Published on July 21, the petition will remain open for signatures until November 18.

Support for the campaign has accelerated significantly, with the number of signatures nearly tripling in fewer than two days this week.

Walker told Canadian broadcaster CBC News that the scale of public support had exceeded her expectations.

The petition does not itself compel the Canadian government to expel Hoekstra, but its growing support increases political pressure on Ottawa to formally address the concerns raised about the U.S. ambassador’s conduct.