DOJ halts all antitrust collaboration with Canada amid escalating trade dispute
The Justice Department’s antitrust division was ordered to stop all joint work with Canadian officials as trade tensions between the two countries rise.
Earlier this week, the Justice Department’s antitrust division received an order to cease all collaborative activities with Canadian authorities, according to internal emails. Lynda Marshall, who leads the division’s international section, directed staff on Wednesday to stop working on joint cases and policy discussions, providing no explanation. A second email on Friday required senior antitrust officials to compile lists of existing cooperation with Canada by the end of that day.
The department later issued a statement rejecting the report, claiming the alleged directive never existed and that only a specific meeting was temporarily postponed. This development occurs amid a broader trade conflict sparked by President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs and a recent executive order to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Canada has responded with matching tariffs on U.S. goods, set to begin on September 8, as Prime Minister Mark Carney vowed to protect Canadian workers and businesses.
Why it matters
The freeze could further strain U.S.-Canada trade relations and affect cross-border economic cooperation.
How this story developed
- Aug 24 Trump threatens 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles and parts starting 2027
- Aug 25 Canada is preparing a counter‑tariff schedule to be unveiled in early September.
- Aug 25 Canada announced retaliatory tariffs to begin on Sept 8.
- Aug 26 Retailers have begun removing U.S. wines and spirits from shelves as part of the boycott campaign.
- Aug 27 The United States began reviewing possible bans on Canadian imports under Section 338.
- Aug 29 Canada set a 25% levy on certain American vehicles and matched the U.S. 50% level on steel and aluminium, also targeting plywood, screws and other timber items.
- Aug 30 Donald Trump posted an AI-generated clip showing himself swapping a Lake Ontario sign for a "Lake America" banner, while tensions over his tariffs on Canada continue.
- Aug 31 Trump urged Canadian firms to relocate to the United States and labeled Canadian leadership the worst he has encountered.
- Aug 31 Trump warned the duty on Canadian automobiles will rise to 50% on Jan. 1 and offered tariff relief to firms that relocate to the United States.
- Aug 31 Mark Carney described the dispute as an attack and said Canada must respond as if at war.
- Sep 1 Voters in Beaches-East York, Chicoutimi-Le Fjord and North Vancouver-Capilano will decide three federal seats tonight, a key gauge of Prime Minister Mark Carney's government as a U.S. trade dispute escalates.
- Sep 1 Liberals have now won all three contested ridings.
- Sep 3 Apple Maps switched to the new lake name for U.S. users.
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