Linda Lapointe

“Mr. Speaker, first off, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Côte‑Nord—Kawawachikamachi—Nitassinan. First, I would like to warmly congratulate my new colleagues in Quebec’s National Assembly who were elected on October 5. In the Laurentians, from the La Vérendrye wildlife reserve to the Rivière des Mille Îles, nine sovereigntist MNAs were elected. As a sovereigntist, the member for Laurentides—Labelle and a proud member of the Bloc Québécois, I wish to reiterate that I intend to work closely with my counterparts in the Parti Québécois for the future of our nation. The future of our nation depends on promoting what lies at the very heart of who we are: our culture. I understand the federalist strategy all too well. Control over our cultural destiny is seen as a threat to Canadian unity. That is why the affirmation and promotion of our culture have always been filtered through the lens of federalist policies. The preservation of our heritage and cultural autonomy represents a real and tangible challenge to the broader project of Canadian nation-building. Faced with Anglo-American cultural hegemony and pushes toward uniformity, Quebec must have the tools necessary to ensure its cultural sovereignty: produce its own works, promote them and make them available to its citizens, and showcase its world view across the globe. Its ability to choose its own cultural destiny depends on it. When the government backtracks on important legal pillars that have real, tangible and major effects on some of the population’s culture, we have every right to question the intentions behind these decisions. As an opposition legislator, it is my duty to do so. The government will definitely tell us that it has increased CBC/Radio-Canada’s funding. It did, and we are very glad it did. CBC/Radio-Canada is a public broadcaster. I am happy to know that in the coming weeks or months, hopefully, Radio-Canada will have reporters based in the Laurentians. We do not have any right now. Let us turn to TVA, Noovo and private production companies. How can they compete against Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and the others? When production and distribution of cultural products fall into the hands of foreign giants, we risk losing more than just part of our identity. What we are asking for is not complicated. We must not give up the key ways in which we define our cultural priorities. We must maintain our presence in the public space and make our voice heard around the world. In 2026, as American platforms share their content globally and play a pivotal role in our cultural life, the government is choosing to scrap the digital services tax. Wow. It is choosing to give up one of the few levers at its disposal to get these giants to contribute to the cultural ecosystem where they make their profits. Imagine that. This choice puts commercial interests ahead of cultural interests. Yes, commercial interests come before cultural interests. Refusing to exercise the powers of the state means accepting the power relationship and letting these platforms set the ground rules on their own. This abdication is an admission of weakness and a profound disdain for francophone culture in North America. Let me be clear. Without the Bloc Québécois, no one here would take such a strong stand on Quebec culture. I am turning to my Liberal Party or Conservative Party colleagues here, and asking them where they stand on this issue. Defending Quebec culture involves defending the economy. They go hand in hand. Defending Quebec culture involves protecting jobs. Defending Quebec culture involves negotiating with the European Union. We have to stop assuming that protecting culture and creating jobs are mutually exclusive. The Prime Minister wants to to create closer ties between Canada and the European Union. We can also turn to the EU’s defence of culture for inspiration. Europe oversees huge platforms and ensures that its creative works are present and visible on streaming services. A number of its member states have also taken action on a fiscal level. Let us be bold, and let us take pride in Quebec culture. I know that the Prime Minister understands the value of soft power. I say to him: Let us take pride in seeing Quebec walk the red carpet at Cannes, shine at the Oscars and showcase its artists on the world stage. However, that kind of success does not happen on its own. Without funding, culture cannot thrive. From Théâtre du Marais in my riding in the Laurentians to Quebec TV series that are reaching audiences around the world, every link in the chain matters. We need to support our culture and to show the world what Quebec has to offer. Our culture deserves the government support it needs to create, renew, be passed on to future generations and flourish. That is why it is essential that the government uphold the CRTC’s decisions imposing levies on streaming services, as set out in the Broadcasting Act, and that it make the interim payment of $600 million promised to the cultural sector for the current year. How many questions have we asked? It should be possible to do this within days. Governments know how to move quickly when they want to invest. The question that I put to my colleague earlier focused on festivals. Culture, cultural events, festivals and tourism development are indeed part of who we are. It is not enough merely to express concern for them or to say that we value them. We must back those words with action. Quebec’s cultural sector, like its tourism sector, deserves recognition proportionate to its contribution to Quebec’s and Canada’s economies and to our collective identity. This is necessary.”