“The government is giving in to pressure from the United States. It wants to cancel a fee increase so streaming companies like Netflix do not have to pay their fair share to support Canadian culture.”

“Madam Speaker, Ottawa is once again bowing to pressure from Washington. The government wants to cancel a levy increase and allow Netflix, Amazon and other streaming platforms to get out of paying their fair share towards funding culture. The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is concerned about this situation. It stated: “Ottawa’s decision...represents a major and deeply troubling setback in the face of U.S. pressure on Canada’s cultural sovereignty.” Who is in charge of cultural policy in this country: the Prime Minister or Donald Trump?”

“The Prime Minister gave up billions of dollars in taxes on streaming platforms and digital services. Writers and artists say he is using their industry as a bargaining chip. I want to know why the government refuses to protect French-language culture.”

“Madam Speaker, he should take a look at our platform. It is full of proposals about culture. Here is what the Société des auteurs et autrices de radio, télévision et cinéma said concerning the Prime Minister’s cultural capitulation: “this announcement cuts us to the core, because it suggests that our industry is nothing but a bargaining chip”. Those are their words, not ours. The Prime Minister had already capitulated on the digital services tax to the tune of $1.4 billion a year. Today, he is capitulating on the $2 billion a year in levies payable by streaming platforms. Whey are the Liberals always so eager to capitulate when it comes to protecting francophone culture in North America?”

“The Prime Minister does not protect Quebec culture in trade deals with the Americans. The federal government gave in to them on streaming services. Quebeckers must protect their own culture.”

“Madam Speaker, let us be clear. The Prime Minister of Canada regards Quebec culture as nothing more than an annoying trade barrier. The Quebec government says that, in the context of the CUSMA negotiations, this sends a signal that Ottawa is prepared to compromise on our culture. Quebec is also considering its own options for making streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime contribute financially, since the federal government is capitulating to the Americans. Do the Liberals realize that they are sending a message to Quebeckers that they can rely on no one but themselves to safeguard the future of our culture?”