Overview
- Officials say a Wednesday internal email from Lynda Marshall with the subject line “Pause on Canada” instructed staff to stop cooperation with Canadian competition authorities, then was corrected the same day.
- The Wall Street Journal reported the initial pause based on internal emails, while the Justice Department told Reuters the alleged order was never formally given and that the division has resumed working with Canada.
- A follow-up message asked section chiefs to list the division’s areas of cooperation with Canada by the end of the day, reflecting an immediate internal review of what work might be affected.
- The episode took place against a wider U.S.-Canada trade dispute that has led to tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in goods and raised political sensitivities around routine agency contacts.
- U.S. and Canadian antitrust authorities have long formal ties for merger reviews and joint probes, so the brief interruption has prompted questions about communication protocols and the potential for delays in cross‑border investigations.