A coalition of entertainment industry workers is asking the U.S. government to put the brakes on Hollywood production in Canada. The Screen Actors Guild of America, Teamsters and several unions representing Hollywood's technical workers Tuesday filed a petition with the U.S. trade representative alleging that Canadian film and TV subsidies have led to U.S. job losses. The complaint alleges that Canadian government subsidies that target U.S. film and TV productions constitute unfair trade practices and violate Canada's obligations under the World Trade Organization. Although cross-border trade disputes are common, they typically involve such commodities as corn and softwood lumber, not movies and TV shows.
See "Hollywood unions file petition on Canadian subsidies", Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times, September 4, 2007