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🇸🇬 Singapore /Economy & Trade

US Justice Department denies report of pause in cooperation with Canada

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that the Justice Department’s antitrust division had been told to pause cooperation with Canada amid a wider trade dispute.
  • The department denied the report, saying officials were asked only to postpone a meeting on a specific investigation while preparing.
  • The reported tensions come as tariffs affect tens of billions of dollars in trade between the two countries.

A reported freeze in U.S.-Canadian antitrust cooperation has been denied by the U.S. Justice Department, which said no such broad directive was issued.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Lynda Marshall, chief of the antitrust division’s international section, instructed officials in an email on Wednesday to stop cooperation on cases and policy discussions with Canadian authorities. The newspaper also reported that division section chiefs were asked to list their areas of cooperation with Canada.

In an emailed statement to Reuters, the Justice Department called the report false. It said the division had been asked to “temporarily hold off on a scheduled meeting on a specific investigation until the DOJ’s antitrust team had more time to prepare,” adding that the “alleged direction was never given to anyone.”

The alleged direction was never given to anyone.

· U.S. Justice DepartmentThe department denied the Wall Street Journal’s report of a broad halt in cooperation with Canada.

The report emerged during a broader trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa. The neighboring countries, which have been close allies for decades, have increasingly clashed over trade and other issues since Donald Trump returned to the White House in early 2025. Tariffs now affect tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade.

The White House and the Canadian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada should become a U.S. state. Last week, he ordered Lake Ontario to be renamed “Lake America” for U.S. federal government purposes, a change that does not affect what Canada or others call the lake.

Temporarily hold off on a scheduled meeting on a specific investigation until the DOJ’s antitrust team had more time to prepare.

· U.S. Justice DepartmentThe department described the limited instruction it said officials received.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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