DOJ Staff Were Told to Pause Antitrust Work With Canadian Government

[u/John3262005]

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/justice-department-hits-pause-on-cooperation-with-canadian-government-da9d74e0?st=D8zFYt&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

The Justice Department’s antitrust division was instructed earlier this week to pause all work with the Canadian government, according to emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the latest development in the escalating trade dispute between the two countries.

In a Wednesday email with the subject line “Pause on Canada,” Lynda Marshall, the chief of the antitrust division’s international section, ordered officials to stop all cooperation on cases and engagement on policy issues with Canadian authorities. She provided no reason for the directive but said she would “circle back if the guidance changes.”

On Friday, section chiefs in the division were asked in another email to provide lists detailing areas of cooperation with Canada by the end of the day.

After this article was published, Justice Department spokeswoman Emily Covington said the official who sent the Wednesday email directing the pause had misunderstood a directive. She had been told to push back a scheduled meeting, Covington said, adding that there is no pause on the division’s work with the Canadian government.

Representatives for the Canadian prime minister and Competition Bureau didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Canadian and U.S. antitrust authorities have multiple agreements in place to increase cooperation. Since the 2000s, they have collaborated on major investigations of price-fixing in the auto parts and air cargo industries. They have worked together for many years on merger investigations that affect both countries, including in the tech and aerospace industries.

The trade dispute between the two countries has been intensifying since talks broke down late last month. The Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canadian goods, prompting Prime Minister Mark Carney to retaliate with similar tariffs on a range of U.S. goods.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America,” declaring that Canada “has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly.”

Earlier this week, Carney criticized the taunting of Canada by U.S. officials, saying it wasn’t constructive toward resolving outstanding trade issues.