SXSW 2025: Canada House event canceled amid tension between Canada, U.S.
The Brief
Canada House, an annual staple of SXSW for more than a decade, will not be part of the 2025 festival.
Telefilm Canada told The Canadian Press that it decided to cancel this year, but did not provide a reason.
Relations between the U.S. and Canada have been tense since President Donald Trump took office again.
AUSTIN, Texas - An annual staple of South by Southwest has canceled its appearance at the 2025 festival amid tension between the United States and its neighbor to the north.
The organizers of Canada House have decided to cancel the annual networking space, according to The Canadian Press. Canada House does not appear on the SXSW 2025 online schedule.
What we know
Canada House has taken over Swan Dive on Red River Street for more than a decade, offering Canadian musicians and entrepreneurs opportunities to meet and make connections with members of the local and international music industry attending the annual conference and festival in Austin.
According to David Friend of The Canadian Press, Telefilm said in a statement it had decided to cancel the annual event this year but didn't provide a reason or respond to questions for comment.
Telefilm's cancelation came after the Canadian Independent Music Association (CIMA) canceled their one-day music showcase at Canada House due to many factors, mostly related to the current relationship between the U.S. and Canada, according to Billboard Canada.
CIMA informed its artists about their cancelation on Feb. 13, almost a full month before their planned March 12 event, says CBC.
What they're saying
"The growing instability of everything in the United States right now, plus the high cost [of putting on events in the United States] and the low [Canadian] dollar – all of these things combined made it so we couldn't feel confident or good about what we were getting ourselves into at this particular moment," CIMA's president and CEO Andrew Cash told Billboard Canada.
"The timing is not great…I just didn't feel comfortable putting CIMA out there in that context of instability." Andrew Cash, president and CEO of the Canadian Independent Music Association
"The timing is not great," he continued. "We would be going down there just after the 30-day tariff pause has expired. We're going to have a new Prime Minister [in Canada, following the resignation of Justin Trudeau]. I just didn't feel comfortable putting CIMA out there in that context of instability."
Big picture view
Tensions have been high between Canada and the United States since President Donald Trump took office again in January.
Trump has repeatedly said that Canada should become the 51st state, a proposal that is deeply unpopular among Canadians. The president has also threatened tariffs on Canadian imports and energy products.
Tariffs were initially set to go into effect in early February, but were paused for 30 days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that on a call with Trump that he pledged additional cooperation on border security and fentanyl trafficking. Mexico was threatened as well, but those tariffs were also paused.
Those tariffs could go into effect as soon as March 4, says CTV News, which reports that Canada's Public Safety Minister David McGuinty says he has been given no assurances that the country can avoid the tariffs despite those pledged efforts.
Billboard Canada, however, says that the tariffs are set to kick in on March 12, which would fall right in the middle of SXSW's 2025 festival.
What's next
Canada is still well-represented on SXSW's 2025 schedule, with panels, performers, and events, including the Canadian Innovation Lounge at the Fairmont Hotel, which is also sponsored by Telefilm.
CBC says that almost 40 Canadians are still booked to perform at various venues during the festival.
FOX 7 Austin has reached out to SXSW, Telefilm Canada, and CIMA for comment.
The Source
Information in this report comes from SXSW and Canadian news outlets CBC, CTV News, the Times Colonist, and Billboard Canada, and previous reporting by FOX Television Stations. This story was reported from Austin, Texas.
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