Another Canadian industry is facing the brunt of President Donald Trump’s trade policies. He’s announced a 100 percent tariff on films made in foreign lands, that includes Canada, also known as Hollywood North.
Over the past 30 years, countless major movies have been filmed in Canada – titles like Titanic, American Psycho, Cinderella Man, and the X-Men series, just to name a few. That’s led to a booming industry north of the border employing thousands. Hollywood North has become so big that Toronto has become the number-one choice for film companies, with Vancouver as their third choice. The American film industry has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building huge studios in Toronto. Mayor Olivia Chow says tariffs would be devastating.
“Thirty thousand jobs, a 2.6-billion-dollar economic impact. Nowhere else in the world are there places that have this kind of diverse talent that we have right here in the city of Toronto. So, it’s going to devastate the American film industry. Hollywood needs to be rebuilt because of the fire, but it really shouldn’t come and devastate the film industry by doing the hundred percent tariff.’
Across Canada the industry is reeling from the shock of the announcement and reaction is coming from coast to coast. Here’s the premier of British Columbia, David Eby.
“We will stand with our film industry, and we’ll stand with the film industry around the world. To make sure that we are protecting the rights of Americans to see what they want to see, which includes high-quality productions filmed right here in Canada,” Eby said.
Those in the filmmaking industry are reacting as well. Gemma Martini is the CEO of Martini Film Studios.
“A creative industry like this has no borders. In fact, our whole industry is a globally integrated industry, which makes it challenging for a tariff to be implemented. It’s not a product. It’s a service that we provide here. But beyond that, it would be devastating for all production that happens outside the United States. Something like this would also be devastating to the United States,” Martini said.
The dramatic twist in the trade war has Ontario Premier Doug Ford wondering about what Trump will do next.
“This guy, he’s just unbelievable. Every day something new with him. We built our film industry up to about three billion dollars. Our goal is five billion dollars, but again, he’s going after the entire world. It’s obviously backfiring. You see his polls, worst in 80 years,” Ford said.
ACTRA, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television, and Radio Artists was quick to respond. Alliance President Eleanor Noble calls the tariffs on foreign films troubling.
“We‘re not sure how it would be implemented, whether it’s through streaming services or budget or box office. There really is no information yet. So, we’re hanging tight to hear what the details are,” Noble said.
It’s not clear whether Prime Minister Mark Carney brought up the film tariffs specifically during his visit to the White House on Tuesday. A proposal that even some in the Trump administration have dialed back on. Carney was given a warm reception by Trump, but the American leader also said there was nothing that Carney could do to lift tariffs already imposed. But again, just as in the auto industry, tens of thousands of Canadian jobs are at stake in the film industry because of threatened tariffs.
