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Canadian Identity and Culture

The debate focused on Canadian identity and culture, specifically concerning cultural funding and levies on American streaming platforms. The Bloc Québécois argued that the government abandoned its support for Quebec culture by waiving levies for U.S. streaming platforms and had failed to deliver on promised funding to the cultural sector. The government countered that it was not acting in partisanship and had allocated hundreds of millions of dollars in the 2025 budget to Canadian media organizations, including CBC/Radio-Canada and Telefilm Canada.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

2 statements

Martin Champoux

Bloc Québécois
“The government let American streaming companies off without paying fees, and it has not paid the $600 million it promised to our cultural sector instead. Artists and cultural groups have received no money since last spring. I want to know when the government will take action.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, let us not forget that the Liberals turned their backs on Quebec culture by waiving the levies for U.S. online streaming platforms to please Donald Trump. In exchange, the government promised $600 million for the cultural sector, which has yet to see a single penny. The levies were supposed to take effect last spring. That means that, since last spring, our cultural sector has received nothing: neither the levies nor the $600 million. The only thing our cultural sector has received from Ottawa so far is bad news. When is the government going to take action?

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Martin Champoux

Bloc Québécois
“Our culture needs American streaming platforms to pay levies. The Prime Minister made our broadcasting law meaningless by dropping these fees. I want the minister to tell the Prime Minister he made a mistake.”

  • Opposition question in Question Period

    Respect 68 of 100

    This statement targeted a person rather than their actions or views: “announce that he has the courage to tell the Prime Minister that he made a mistake by scrapping the levies?”.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I have said this before, but it bears repeating: The future of our culture depends on requiring American streaming platforms to pay levies. However, every time we talk about it, the minister descends into partisanship. That is a shame because the levies were the result of long-term work carried out across party lines. We have no problem saying that in Quebec, the amendment to the Broadcasting Act was seen as a good move by the Liberal government. However, the Prime Minister made it effectively meaningless by scrapping the levies. Will the minister stand up today and announce that he has the courage to tell the Prime Minister that he made a mistake by scrapping the levies?

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