Canada and Ontario need to move quickly in response to possibility of film industry tariffs, says Beaches-East York MPP McMahon
By MATTHEW STEPHENS
Toronto residents working in the film industry are bracing themselves for a possible economic impact after United States President Donald Trump recently proposed a 100 per cent tariff on films coming into America that are not made in that country.
“Toronto, Ontario is home to many, many movies. Incredible films, and we have amazing workers in that sector and passion advocates, so this will absolutely affect our film industry and film sector,” said Beaches-East York Member of Provincial Parliament Mary-Margaret McMahon in an interview with Beach Metro Community News.
In a posted statement on his social media platform Truth Social on May 4, Trump authorized the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Trade Representative to begin the process of imposing a 100 per cent tariff on “Any and all Movies coming into our Country that are produced in Foreign Lands.”
McMahon described the constant changes in Trump’s trade policy as “alarming,” and that Ontarians need to see how it plays out.
“We’re trying to keep ahead of it, and this recent announcement, whether it actually happens or not, because the president has a habit of announcing things and then revoking them – and announcing them again and implementing them. So, this is very disturbing with regards to our film industry,” said McMahon.
She said she plans to reach out to Ontario’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming Stan Cho to find out how the province will address Trump’s latest tariff announcement.
According to Ontario Creates, an agency of the provincial government that monitors economic development, investment and collaboration in Ontario’s creative industries, the province’s film and television industry contributed a record-breaking $3.15 billion to Ontario’s economy in 2022 and generated approximately 45,891 full-time jobs for Ontarians.
Despite many of Ontario’s prominent film studios being in the East Toronto area (and especially in the south end of the Toronto-Danforth riding), McMahon said the issue is not boundary related and that all film industry jobs across the country need to be protected.
“In the riding of Toronto Danforth, there’s lots of studios that do have. There are artists, actors, and producers living in the Beach and East York. It’s not boundary related. It’s Ontario wide and Canada wide, so we want to protect those jobs, we want to protect that industry and that livelihood. We’ll do everything we can,” said McMahon
When asked about negotiating trade deals with Trump, McMahon said every sector subjected to tariffs should be prioritized to protect all Canadian jobs.
“Everything is on the table,” said McMahon.
“Any type of industry that he’s attaching, we need to act preventatively and anticipate what sectors he’s going to target. That’s our job. It’s not a partisan issue, and all the parties get this and understand this, and want to protect Canada, Ontario, and Ontario jobs and citizens. But we need the government to act strongly in a quick manner.”
