--- title: "US Justice Department denies pausing cooperation with Canada" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/business/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/business/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada" category: "Business & Economy" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-05T04:25:29.678Z" source_reported: "2026-09-05T02:06:00.000Z" updated: "2026-09-05T04:25:29.678Z" trust_score: 78 critic_score: 95 hype_score: 18 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-05T05:30:10.922762+00:00" --- # US Justice Department denies pausing cooperation with Canada *Reports indicated a directive to halt antitrust work, but the department stated no such instruction was given.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 78 of 100, higher is better. Trust 78: named source Lynda Marshall, DOJ statement, multiple independent outlets, and specific timing cited. - Craft 95 of 100, higher is better. Critic 95: explains trade dispute relevance, quotes DOJ, separates facts, provides names and next steps clearly. - Hype 18 of 100, lower is better. Hype 18: language is measured; headline matches article without sensational exaggeration. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - The US Justice Department's antitrust division was reportedly instructed to pause cooperation with the Canadian government. - The department has denied issuing any such directive, stating the alleged pause instruction was never given. - The reported pause occurred amidst a trade dispute that has led to tariffs on billions of dollars in cross-border trade. - The Wall Street Journal initially reported the alleged instruction, citing emails. Reports emerged on 4 September 2026 that the US Justice Department's antitrust division had been instructed to pause all cooperation with the Canadian government. The directive was reportedly sent via email by Lynda Marshall, chief of the antitrust division's international section, amid an escalating trade dispute between the two nations. This dispute has resulted in tariffs on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade. ## Disagreement on the directive The US Justice Department has denied the reports. In a statement to Reuters, the department said the "alleged direction was never given to anyone." The department also stated that a scheduled meeting was temporarily held off for preparation, rather than a complete halt in cooperation. The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the alleged instruction, cited emails as its source. ## What the coverage left out None of the left-rated, centre-rated, or right-rated digests mention the specific date of the alleged email directive from Lynda Marshall, only that it occurred earlier in the week of the reports. ## Who covered it Shares of the 13 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 8% (1) - Centre: 46% (6) - Right: 46% (6) 0 of 13 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-05T05:30:10.922762+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 4 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-05T05:45:21.268Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - Raw Story reported that the Justice Department accidentally stopped working with Canada due to a division chief misunderstanding instructions to reschedule a meeting. The outlet stated the email had the subject line "Pause on Canada" and that Lynda Marshall, chief of the antitrust division's international section, sent it. ### Centre - Channel News Asia, Devdiscourse, Market Screener, and Reuters all reported that the US Justice Department's antitrust division was instructed to pause all work with the Canadian government, citing The Wall Street Journal. Channel News Asia and Reuters noted that the directive came amid a trade dispute between Washington and Ottawa. Channel News Asia also reported the Justice Department's denial, stating the "alleged direction was never given to anyone." The department explained that a scheduled meeting was temporarily held off for preparation. The White House referred Reuters to the DOJ, and the Canadian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ### Right - Times of India, wfmd.com, Fox News, and Daily Sabah reported that the US Justice Department's antitrust division was directed to pause all cooperation with Canada. Times of India stated the department denied reports of pausing work with Canada and that a scheduled meeting was temporarily held for preparation. Wfmd.com and Fox News reported the directive came amid escalating US-Canada trade tensions. Daily Sabah reported the halt amid a trade dispute. **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 7 - high: 2 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 3 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/09/05/us-news/doj-ordered-to-freeze-antitrust-work-with-canada-as-trade-tensions-intensify) — DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify - [The New York Ledger](https://thenyledger.com/politics/doj-ordered-to-freeze-antitrust-work-with-canada-as-trade-tensions-intensify) — DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify - [Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/world-news/us-justice-department-pauses-cooperation-with-canadian-government-wsj-reports/articleshow/133783720.cms) — US Justice Department pauses cooperation with Canadian government: Report - [Wall Street Journal](https://wsj.com/politics/policy/justice-department-hits-pause-on-cooperation-with-canadian-government-da9d74e0) — DOJ Staff Were Told to Pause Antitrust Work With Canadian Government - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/04/doj-ordered-to-freeze-antitrust-work-with-canada-as-trade-tensions-intensify) — DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/doj-ordered-to-freeze-antitrust-work-with-canada-as-trade-tensions-intensify) — DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify – Democratic Accent - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/politics/doj-ordered-freeze-antitrust-work-canada-trade-tensions-intensify) — DOJ ordered to freeze antitrust work with Canada as trade tensions intensify - [Devdiscourse](https://devdiscourse.com/article/international/3972862-us-justice-department-pauses-cooperation-with-canadian-government-wsj-reports) — US Justice Department pauses cooperation with Canadian government, WSJ reports - [Channel News Asia](https://channelnewsasia.com/world/us-justice-department-pauses-cooperation-canadian-government-6364001) — US Justice Department pauses cooperation with Canadian government, WSJ reports - [Raw Story](https://rawstory.com/doj-canada) — Misread email subject line accidentally freezes Trump DOJ's work with top ally - [Daily Sabah](https://dailysabah.com/world/americas/us-halts-antitrust-cooperation-with-canada-amid-trade-dispute) — US halts antitrust cooperation with Canada amid trade dispute - [Market Screener](https://marketscreener.com/news/us-justice-department-pauses-cooperation-with-canadian-government-wsj-reports-ce785bdbd980f621) — US DOJ's antitrust division asked to pause cooperation with Canadian government, WSJ reports - [Reuters](https://reuters.com/world/us-justice-department-pauses-cooperation-with-canadian-government-wsj-reports-2026-09-04) — US DOJ's antitrust division asked to pause cooperation with Canadian government, WSJ reports ## Questions **What was the US Justice Department accused of doing?** Reports indicated that the US Justice Department's antitrust division was instructed via email to pause all cooperation with the Canadian government. This alleged directive came amid ongoing trade disputes and tariffs between the two nations. **Did the US Justice Department pause cooperation with Canada?** The US Justice Department has denied the reports, stating that the alleged pause directive was never given to anyone. The department clarified that a scheduled meeting was temporarily held off for preparation. **What is the context of the alleged pause?** The alleged pause in cooperation occurred amid a trade dispute between the United States and Canada. This dispute has led to tariffs being imposed on tens of billions of dollars in cross-border trade between the two neighbouring countries. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/business/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "US Justice Department denies pausing cooperation with Canada", https://mediabias.news/business/us-justice-department-denies-pausing-cooperation-with-canada