The United States Ambassador Pete Hoekstra is dismissing a petition calling for his removal from Canada, saying his future in the country ultimately rests with U.S. President Donald Trump.

“As long as the president of the United States think I’m doing a good job, I’ll be here,” Hoekstra said.

The official petition came before the House of Commons earlier this summer, calling to declare Hoekstra persona non grata. It has since garnered over 225,000 signatures.

The petition comes amid scrutiny of the ambassador’s ties to Republican political operatives who have reportedly worked with Alberta separatists, as well as criticism over his practice of amplifying Trump’s social media posts about Canada.

During a sit-down interview with iPolitics on Wednesday, Hoekstra rejected suggestions that those connections undermine his role as ambassador, saying some of the operatives previously worked in Republican politics in Michigan and contributed to his campaigns.

“We’re all conservatives, but you know, in Canada, that is now a cause why someone cannot represent a foreign country,” he said.

He also defended sharing Trump’s posts, arguing that part of his job is giving Canadians an unfiltered view of the president’s thinking, even when those comments may make his own diplomatic work more difficult.

“I think that’s my job,” he said.  “I’m trying to tell Canadians and give them an insight into exactly what the president of the United States thinks. It’s not like I have the latitude of an ambassador to sit somewhere and say, ‘Hmm, I don’t think that tweet is going to make my life any easier.’”