Sunita Somvanshi
The US Department of Justice Antitrust Division has reportedly instructed staff to pause active cooperation with Canada’s Competition Bureau, according to reports citing internal sources. This would mean the two agencies stop sharing information and coordinating investigations while that instruction stands.
That context matters. The two countries have operated under a formal bilateral antitrust cooperation agreement since 1995. The agreement provides a formal framework for cooperation and coordination between the two countries’ competition authorities.
If the reported pause remains in effect, it could reduce the extent of routine coordination on cross-border competition matters.
Reports have linked the reported pause to broader U.S.-Canada trade tensions that have strained the relationship across multiple government departments.
Canada’s Competition Bureau is a federal law enforcement agency operating independently within the Canadian federal system. Its 2026 work includes examination of Canada’s food supply chain — exactly the kind of cross-border issue where bilateral coordination would normally apply.
Important: no public DOJ document confirming the reported directive was identified in the sources reviewed. What can be said accurately is that multiple reports indicate such an instruction has been given — not that the US has formally ended antitrust cooperation with Canada.
