“I want everyone to vote against this motion. Our government has consistently supported cultural groups with hundreds of millions of dollars, while the Bloc has voted against Quebec culture.”

“Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and congratulate him once again on his eloquence. Nonetheless, I would like to set the record straight. The results are clear. I have referenced them before, and I can do so again for everyone’s benefit. On top of the $600 million, there is another $550 million in concrete funding for CBC/Radio-Canada, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, the Canada Music Fund, the National Film Board of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts, as well as TV5MONDE. That being said, regarding consistency, there is something we need to keep in mind. Again, in my earlier remarks on artificial intelligence, I said that the context is changing very quickly. It takes a very agile government to adapt to this reality. I really hope that all my colleagues will vote against this motion, simply because it is inconsistent with the position of the Bloc, which voted against Quebec culture.”

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“Our budget invested nearly one billion dollars into arts and culture across French-speaking Canada. The Bloc Québécois talked about culture all morning, but they voted against this money. I want my colleague to explain why these investments are so important.”

“Mr. Speaker, my colleague eloquently explained why it is so important to support culture across Canada’s francophone communities, whether it be Quebec culture, Acadian culture or francophone culture throughout the country. The most recent budget included nearly $1 billion in investments to support the cultural sector. As a Quebec member who voted in favour of that budget, could he explain why it was important to support those investments in culture, unlike the members of the Bloc Québécois, who spoke about culture all morning but voted against these historic investments in the cultural sector?”

“I voted for this budget along with 43 other Quebec members. Culture is important for our growth. Our government will always support Canadian and Quebec culture, including French-language art and media.”

“First of all, I would like to thank my colleague for his very eloquent and direct question. I would like to tell him that I was not the only Quebecker to vote for this budget. I was among 44 members who proudly represent Quebec, represent it well and defend Quebec culture on an ongoing basis. Culture is a vehicle for development that is very important, if not essential, to it success. I can reiterate and confirm once again that our government will always defend the Canadian and Quebec cultural sector in general. It will ensure that Canadians see themselves on screen, hear our voices and our official languages, including the French language, and celebrate what makes our country unique.”

“In Hamilton, we have lost many local newspapers, radio stations, and TV news. Democracy needs a shared set of facts. I want the member to say more about how losing that hurts democracies in Canada and around the world.”

“Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the comments from the member opposite, especially her comments about the importance of the CBC. I listen to CBC Radio One daily and also local news. In Hamilton, we have lost our local weekly newspapers. We have lost local talk radio stations. Even the daily TV news is a shadow of its former self, as is the daily newspaper. I am wondering if the member could expand on the importance of having a common frame of reference. She talked about how that is impacting democracies. I think this is an issue not only for Canada, but also for western democracies around the world.”