By Ahmad Hathout
The Canadian creative industry is expressing uncertainty and concern about the impact of an order made by U.S. President Donald Trump Sunday to impose a 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made films.
“While specific details are far from clear at this point, the proposed actions outlined in US President Donald Trump’s announcement will cause significant disruption and economic hardship to the media production sectors on both sides of the Canada-US border,” Reynolds Mastin, president and CEO of the Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA), said in a press release Monday, adding Canada needs a “strong, independent domestic media industry” – a case the CMPA said it will make at upcoming CRTC hearings.
President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that the order to begin work on the services tariff is an act to save an American film industry “dying a very fast death” by forcing movies to be made in America.
“Other Countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States,” he continued. “Hollywood, and many other areas within the U.S.A., are being devastated. This is a concerted effort by other Nations and, therefore, a National Security threat.”
Indeed, Canada’s underperforming loonie relative to the American dollar and federal and provincial tax incentives have made it an attractive destination to film for U.S. production houses over the years.
The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA) called the order an “attack on the livelihoods of Canadian performers and creators” and urged the Canadian government to stand firm in defense of its cultural industries and invest in a “strong, truly domestic media production industry” that can withstand these foreign threats.
“Canada’s film, television, and digital media sector contributed over $11 billion to the national GDP in 2023–24 and continues to drive innovation, global recognition, and job creation,” Eleanor Noble, ACTRA’s national president, said in a statement. “The imposition of cultural tariffs or rollbacks would not only destabilize decades of Canada–U.S. industry collaboration but also threaten the jobs of thousands of Canadians across the country.
“ACTRA urges Prime Minister Carney and Canada’s trade team to take a Team Canada approach — one that protects our performers, strengthens our cultural infrastructure, and ensures Canadian stories are seen here at home and around the world.”
The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) said in a statement that it’s unclear how the tariffs would affect productions and if it will expand to include Canadian-made television series produced by U.S. networks.
“We cannot allow the US to devastate the Canadian film and television industry,” Victoria Shen, WGC’s executive director, said in a statement. “More than ever, we need to protect our creative industries which are crucial to our culture, identity, and sovereignty as a nation.
“As Prime Minister Carney prepares to meet with President Trump tomorrow, May 6, we urge the Canadian government to lead with grit and determination to defend our cultural industries. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
Kevin Desjardins, head of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB), told Cartt that the organization, which represents the major broadcasters, is still trying to ascertain what President Trump’s full intensions are.
“It’s not clear how such tariffs would be imposed, and on whom,” Desjardins said. “The White House has stated that no final decisions have been made. The CAB believes that cooperation, partnerships and equitable rules are the best path forward in our relationship with American platforms and media companies.”
Crown corporation Telefilm Canada, which finances and promotes Canadian projects, told us it is “closely monitoring the situation and collaborating with industry partners to gather information on the potential impacts that the Canadian audiovisual sector may face in the event that the proposed tariffs be implemented.”
Following Mark Carney’s election victory last week, some of these same creative groups urged the Liberal leader to bolster the Canadian creative industry to combat the threats from south of the border, which Carney made a cornerstone of his campaign.
U.S. officials have long opposed Canada’s Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, because they believe it specifically targets for taxation their largest streaming giants to operate in Canada. In fact, Apple, Amazon, Spotify will be in the Federal Court of Appeal next month to argue why they shouldn’t have to pay a base rate of five per cent of their annual Canadian revenues to Canadian content funds.
Last month, Corus said it has been getting a positive reception from advertisers about potentially buying more ad space on Canadian, rather than American, platforms as a way to fight back against Trump tariffs.
Screenshot from CMPA promo video
