Ireland–Canada co-production treaty
The Ireland-Canada co-production treaty is the most operationally established of Ireland's treaty network — Canada has a long history of treaty co-production with Ireland and the Screen Ireland (Fís Éireann) / Ireland–Canada co-production treaty / CAVCO axis is well-trodden by indigenous Irish producers.
Originally signed in 1989 and updated effective 1 July 2016. Covers film, television, drama, animation, and documentary.
On the Canadian side, the co-producer claims Canada's domestic federal credit — CPTC (25%) for Canadian-controlled content or PSTC (16%) for service work, both refundable and labour-based, stackable with provincial credits. See Canadian film/TV tax credits — CPTC + PSTC.
Key thresholds
| Parameter | Bilateral | Trilateral |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum financial participation per party | 20% | 10% |
| Maximum financial participation per party | 80% | 80% |
| Key creative roles by treaty-party nationals | 7 of 10 | 7 of 10 |
| Sums-to-100% check | Required | Required |
| Proportionality (financial vs creative + technical) | ±10pp tolerance | ±10pp tolerance |
The 10 key creative + technical roles tracked: director · writer · DoP · sound · editor · music composer · production designer · lead cast 1 · lead cast 2 · supporting cast.
Trilateral structures
The treaty permits trilateral structures where a third country joins. The third party must hold bilateral treaties with both Ireland and Canada. UK is the most common — Ireland holds the European Convention with the UK; Canada-UK have a longstanding bilateral.
When a trilateral structure is approved, minimum financial participation drops to 10% for each party.
Competent authorities
| Side | Authority |
|---|---|
| Ireland | Department of Culture, Communications and Sport (DCCS) with Screen Ireland (Fís Éireann) |
| Canada | Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO) |
Each side issues its own provisional approval before principal photography, and final certification after delivery.
What's covered
Film, television, drama, animation, documentary. The treaty does not exclude any specific format within those categories.
Rights and revenue
Treaty Article VII (as updated) — each co-producer owns the work in their own territory and shares worldwide receipts proportionate to their financial contribution. The co-production contract must reflect this; CAVCO and DCCS verify it during certification.
Pitfalls
The 7-of-10 key creative roles count is exact. Producers occasionally count loosely (e.g. treating a co-DoP as filling the DoP slot for both nationalities). CAVCO and DCCS count it strictly — one role, one nationality. If the maths drops below 7-of-10, certification fails.
Trilateral routes need both pairwise treaties intact. Ireland-Canada-UK works because IE↔UK is the European Convention and UK↔CA is their longstanding bilateral. A trilateral with a country that holds only one of the two pairs (e.g. IE↔X but no CA↔X) fails the structure check.
How Togra supports this
The Co-Production Structurer runs the ie_ca_2014 scheme scorer per the rules above — financial-band check, party-eligibility check, key-creative scoring with the 7-of-10 threshold, trilateral third-party validation, and sums-to-100% / proportionality checks. The structurer reports pass / partial / fail per clause, citing the treaty article. Trilateral structures route through the n-lateral engine that combines the IE-CA bilateral with the third party's pairwise treaties.
Related
Sources
- · Audio-visual Co-production Agreement between the Government of Ireland and the Government of Canada, signed 1989
- · Updated arrangements effective 1 July 2016
- · Screen Ireland Canada Co-Production page · screenireland.ie/filming/international-co-production/canada