Discussion · Government Orders
Luc Thériault Bloc Québécois
“The government is giving up $4 billion by refusing to make American web giants pay fees. Instead, it is using $600 million of taxpayers' money to help our cultural sector. The government is giving in to bullies. I want the House to pass our motion so our cultural industry gets that $600 million right now.”
“Mr. Speaker, it is the context. We are forgoing $4 billion by not standing up to the Americans and the web giants that come here and make money at our expense. The Liberals say this will strengthen their position in trade talks. They are prepared to make concessions. The government talks about how much it cares about the cultural sector and says that is why it is offering $600 million in lieu of the levies. The thing is, that $600 million is taxpayers’ money. On top of that, the government would have people believe that affordability is the reason it is not moving forward with the CRTC’s decision, even though the CRTC has the authority to impose these levies on billionaire web giants. That is the problem. The government is not standing its ground. It is not being “elbows up”. Instead, it is yielding to the bully and trying to sugarcoat a bad decision with this $600 million. By the way, our motion is about getting that $600 million out the door right away because the cultural industry has been waiting for 16 months.”
Mr. Speaker, it is the context. We are forgoing $4 billion by not standing up to the Americans and the web giants that come here and make money at our expense. The Liberals say this will strengthen their position in trade talks. They are prepared to make concessions. The government talks about how much it cares about the cultural sector and says that is why it is offering $600 million in lieu of the levies. The thing is, that $600 million is taxpayers’ money. On top of that, the government would have people believe that affordability is the reason it is not moving forward with the CRTC’s decision, even though the CRTC has the authority to impose these levies on billionaire web giants. That is the problem. The government is not standing its ground. It is not being “elbows up”. Instead, it is yielding to the bully and trying to sugarcoat a bad decision with this $600 million. By the way, our motion is about getting that $600 million out the door right away because the cultural industry has been waiting for 16 months.