Canadian producers association backs suspension of trade negotiations with US

The Canadian Media Producers Association (CMPA) has backed Canadian prime minister Mark Carney’s decision to suspend trade negotiations with the US.

Reynolds Mastin

The breakdown of negotiations late last week triggered new 50% US tariffs on a range of Canadian goods as US president Donald Trump said Canada wants “the benefits of being a state, without being one.”

Carney has confirmed he will match Trump’s tariffs “dollar for dollar” from September 8, including levies on steel, dairy, appliances and electronics, and said the US and Canada were now in a trade war.

Both countries had been optimistic over a deal earlier in the week, but the talks fell apart after each side accused the other of making late changes.

The CMPA released a statement over the weekend from its president and CEO, Reynolds Mastin, regarding the Canada-US trade negotiations after talks broke down late on Friday.

It comes as the future of the Online Streaming Act (OSA), a piece of legislation passed in 2023 with a view to regulating online streamers operating in Canada, is hanging by a thread, having become an irritant in the broader trade talks between Canada and the US.

Mastin said: “Last night, the federal government stood up for Canada by refusing to agree to an inequitable trade deal. We look forward to working with the government to ensure that, whatever happens next, the Online Streaming Act, a key pillar of Canadian cultural and digital sovereignty, is defended.

“Canadians must remain in control of their own stories, with global platforms that generate billions of dollars from our market playing by Canadian rules and contributing meaningfully to a strong production ecosystem.”

Earlier this month a group of 50 Canadian TV and film organisations urged Carney to “stand firm” on mandating US streaming services to produce local programming, amid fears the government is poised to scrap years-long legislative efforts.

In an open letter addressed to Carney and Canadian identity and culture minister Marc Miller, the group, which includes the CMPA, Directors Guild of Canada, actors’ union ACTRA and the Writers Guild of Canada, called on the government to preserve the contribution requirements that are currently imposed on foreign-based streamers under the OSA.

The CMPA is the national advocacy organisation for independent producers, representing hundreds of companies engaged in the development, production and distribution of English-language content made for television, cinema and digital media channels.