DOJ told antitrust staff to stop working with Canada, then called it a misunderstanding
The pause came days before Canada's retaliatory tariffs hit.
The Justice Department's antitrust division told staff this week to stop working with Canadian counterparts, then reversed the order and called it a misunderstanding. It gave no reason for the pause and did not tie it to the tariff fight. Trump's 50% tariffs now hit about $20 billion of Canadian goods. The two countries traded $762.10 billion in 2024. Ottawa says it will match the tariffs dollar for dollar starting Sept. 8.
The escalation so far:
- Trump's new tariffs: 50% on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, out of $762.10 billion in two-way trade in 2024
- Canada's matching retaliatory tariffs take effect Sept. 8
- Trump also signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario 'Lake America'