VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby says the provincial film industry should not "panic" over a plan by U.S. President Donald Trump to put a 100 per cent tariff on foreign films, adding that the implementation challenges would be "profound."
Eby says his government will continue to stand with the film industry although he didn't mention specific measures of support.
The premier said Trump's proposal could leave Americans with two versions of Netflix, one showing a limited number of American-only productions and a more costly version that shows viewers everything from around the world.
B.C. has emerged as a top destination for film and TV production, but the industry also faces growing competition from California and other jurisdictions that want to lure production through tax incentives.
The province raised its production services tax credit by eight per cent last year to 36 per cent, if principal photography started by Jan. 1, 2025, while the film incentive tax that supports Canadian-content in production went up by one per cent to 36 per cent.
The added tax credits would bring the provincial contribution to about $1.2 billion annually, for an industry that employees about 26,000 in the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
