Ted Falk

“Mr. Speaker, I have a number of things to say about the opposition’s motion. First and foremost, I will not be voting in favour of the motion because I believe it is at conflict with what the government is attempting to do. It is important to recognize that at the outset. I also want to recognize at the beginning that, in terms of global streaming services, it is not a question of if but how we ensure contributions go to our cultural sector. It is not a question of if. It is how it is going to be done. I go back to the last federal election. I can assure the member opposite that we had candidates all over the nation, with a focus on candidates in the province of Quebec, talking about culture, affordability and many other issues, the primary one being Canadian sovereignty. When we think of Canadian sovereignty, we have to think about our culture as it is part of our identity. When we talk about negotiations, there is the French factor, if I may put it that way, in the culture and heritage we have today, which is a major aspect in all things we do. As a collaborative federal government, we continue to work at ways to build a stronger economy and society. It is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, which I talk a lot about, both inside and outside the chamber. It is something all of us should be very proud of. I love the fact that many people I represent, including young people and children, can speak not one, not two, but three languages. I think of a child graduating from Stanley Knowles School who is able to speak Tagalog, English and French. Many members of our Punjabi heritage community can speak Punjabi, English and French. The amount of French being spoken in Manitoba has never been as high as it is today. I am very proud of the culture in Manitoba’s heritage and what we have to offer especially on the French language aspect. If we drive through St. Boniface in Winnipeg, we will find a very strong and healthy francophone community or if we drive in rural Manitoba, areas like St-Pierre-Jolys. Manitoba is not alone. I have a niece in Alberta who is not only fluent in French and English but is one of the strongest advocates for the French language in Alberta. This is something in which we all have a sense of pride. The Province of Quebec is leading the way in protecting and ensuring Canada continues to grow in its diversity, incorporating French and recognizing the importance of our arts and culture. When we talk about global streaming services, they are not just impacting Canada. They are impacting countries around the world. We attempted to deal with it, but as we have seen, it has not been doing what the government expected of it. Our current Prime Minister is determined to ensure that our cultural communities are receiving the funds necessary to protect that industry. That industry is present throughout our nation. In many ways, it is led by the province of Quebec, but it is present throughout the nation. If I reflect on the province of Manitoba, I have often had the opportunity to talk about Folklorama. Whether it is through the Métis pavilions, pavilions from Europe or pavilions from Asia, from all over the world, Winnipeg and Manitoba get to showcase their diversity. That diversity is cherished by a vast majority of Canadians, and we want to see it grow. We want to see Canadian faces on TV, on YouTube and on Facebook. We have the artists. We have the actors and actresses, the technicians and the people who pull it together. I think we underestimate not only how that identifies who we are as a nation, but the magnitude of the jobs within that industry. I can tell members who are following this debate that, whether it is the Prime Minister or this government, we recognize it in a very tangible way. Going out of the election, a number of policy changes took place, and I believe we are on the right track. If I were to give a really good example, I would talk about when the Prime Minister and the government made the decision to get rid of the carbon tax. It was a big issue. I have not had one person in my riding tell me that it was wrong for the Prime Minister to change that policy, not one person. An hon. member: It was just a little late, by 11 years. Hon. Kevin Lamoureux: The Prime Minister was elected less than 18 months ago. Mr. Speaker, if we take a look at the issue we have before us today, even if we factor in the CRTC, we need to recognize what the government is saying. The government is not saying we are going to let global streaming services have whatever they want and go rogue in Canada, far from it. The Prime Minister has been very clear on the issue. When it comes to global streaming services, they will contribute to our cultural sector. That is not at issue. The issue is how we best do that. That means it might take some time, as we work with what other international partners are doing on the issue and see how we can evolve a plan that is going to be effective and is going to ensure that we get that money directly to our culture community. At the same time, we are investing $600 million to provide support. It is an interim measure, because the long-term goal is to get that plan, and I believe we will get it. We have a budget coming up on November 5, and whether that measure is incorporated into the budget or not, I have absolute faith, based not just on wishful thinking but on the reality of things that have taken place since the last federal election, that it will provide the cultural industry a sense of comfort that the Government of Canada is not going to ignore that industry. I said in a question that the $600 million would be over and above the other half a billion dollars that was budgeted for in the last federal budget, the first budget of the new government and our new Prime Minister. We can a look at where some of that money is going. I have a few select places that I would like to list off. There is $192 million in 2025-26 for CBC/Radio-Canada. Whether it is Radio-Canada and the important role it plays in Quebec or it is CBC in general, it is absolutely critical for Canadian sovereignty that we have funding going to that institution. There is no dispute coming from the government on that. The Prime Minister has been very clear on it, even though we get pressure from the Conservative Party, which is threatening and making very clear that if they were in government, they would get rid of it. I would hope that a more progressive-thinking official opposition, understanding the impact that would have, would reverse that position, because Radio-Canada and CBC as a whole play a very important role in our society. For Telefilm Canada, there is $150 million over three years. We can talk about how Telefilm Canada is helping our arts community. These are just federal dollars that are being provided. We have the Canada Media Fund. Over a three-year period, there is over $125 million for it. As a government, we are recognizing the value of this institution and why it is so important for us to continue with the funding of it. For the Canada music fund, there is close to $50 million over the next three years. We can talk about the National Film Board of Canada, which is getting $26 million over that same period of time. It is truly amazing the data bank of films that the National Film Board of Canada has and the many contributions it has made through that data bank and Canadian films to many of the people it has been able to serve in virtually every different sectors of our arts community and cultural community, whether directly or indirectly. The Canada Council for the Arts, over that same period of time, will be given $6 million, recognizing the work that it does to protect one of the things that are so critically important. Our sovereignty is an issue that this government takes very seriously. I know it is on the minds of many, because we hear the comments coming from both the Bloc and the Conservatives. They try to mock us. In a previous speech, someone said “Mr. Canada”, referring to our Prime Minister. I can tell my friends in the Bloc that there is a team Canada approach to building a stronger province of Quebec and a stronger province of Alberta. In every region of the country, we have seen federal co-operation and collaboration, recognizing that it is the people of Canada who benefit when governments work together. I would challenge members opposite to point to a time when we have seen this much collaboration within the first 18 months of being in government. An hon. member: Well, that would be Harper. Hon. Kevin Lamoureux: Harper was not even close. Mr. Speaker, there are many examples I could give on Stephen Harper. The one that comes to my mind right away, because I always advocated for it, is the CPP. In order to enhance people’s pensions, we needed to work with the provinces and get an agreement. It was never achieved back then. There are many different examples. I have been a parliamentarian for over 30 years at the provincial and federal levels. I cannot recall ever seeing a prime minister and stakeholders, along with our premiers, provinces, territories and indigenous leaders, work as a team Canada in trying to deal with the issue of sovereignty. That takes many forms. As we saw not that long ago, the Prime Minister was talking with the president. It looked like there was the possibility of an agreement, but we were not prepared to bend in regard to some of the things that were coming out, including the issue of French on labels, I believe, but do no quote me on that. There was an important issue there, along with a few others, that ultimately stopped the negotiations from being able to continue. No matter how long it takes, we are here to work at achieving an agreement, but that agreement has to be achieved in the best interests of Canadians as a whole. That means if it is going to take a while, we will wait a while. While we are waiting, there are actions we can take, and protecting our culture is one of those actions. That is one of the reasons we have seen the types of investments we have had in culture. It is because we recognize that this is part of who we are as a nation. There are so many things we can be very proud of in the different regions. My family ancestry goes back to the province of Quebec. I am a nationalist first and foremost. I believe in Canada as a nation first. That means that I love my city and I love my province, but I love the province of Quebec too. Quebec and Alberta are both worth standing up for. When we think of our culture, I want the distinct, unique culture that comes from the province of Quebec not only to be there, but to grow. I believe the Prime Minister and every member of the Liberal caucus wants to see that happen too. We understand the issue of culture. We understand the impact that global streaming services are having. We have and we will come up with a detailed plan because we also believe that global streaming services must contribute. It is not an option to our cultural sector. It is not a question of “if”. It is about “how”, and we will make it happen.”