“The government gave in to the United States and stopped regulators from making American streaming services pay to support our culture. The government promised to give our cultural sector $600 million instead, but has not paid any of it. I want to know when they will keep their promise and pay the money.”

“Mr. Speaker, the CDCE, the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, is on the Hill. This is an opportunity to point out that Ottawa caved in to the U.S. by preventing the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the CRTC, from requiring online streaming platforms to pay levies. The Liberals have deprived our creators of sustainable funding for our culture from American tech giants. In return, they promised $600 million in funding. Imagine: our cultural sector still has not seen a single penny of that money. First of all, when will the government keep its word and pay the $600 million?”

“Quebec television needs steady funding from American streaming platforms to survive. A one-time payment of $600 million is not enough, and a future government could just cancel it. I want the government to follow the law and bring back the fees on these streaming companies.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is the kind of answer we got in June. We will say it again, and we will say it every time. There is no future for Quebec television without a fair share of funding from American online streaming platforms. It is not possible to replace the long-term contribution from the tech giants, which is protected by the Broadcasting Act, with a one-time payment of $600 million that any government could cancel, depending on the mood of the day. It is irresponsible and even illegal. The government is acting as though we are still in the 1990s. Will the government respect its own law, its own word, and ask the CRTC to reinstate the levies?”