“Quebeckers are proud of our culture and our nation. Conservatives recognized Quebec as a nation. But I want to ask the member what he thinks of a government that promised one thing to get elected, is doing the opposite, and keeps changing its mind on this issue.”

“Mr. Speaker, I always appreciate my colleague’s sense of humour. Using “lever le coude” in French for “elbows up” was very funny. I will give him another example. When people talk about the “shadow cabinet” here in the House, they refer to them in French as “ministres fantômes”. When I explain to my colleagues that “fantôme” means “ghost”, they do not find it funny, but that is our reality. Finally, I want to assure the member that all of us Quebeckers are proud of our culture. We are proud of this distinction that makes us a nation. That is why the Conservative government had recognized the principle of nationhood. I can assure him that I am very passionate about culture, as are the 77 members here in the House who represent all Quebeckers. The question I am going to ask him is this: They have a position that has been well known for a long time, and we have a position that has been well known for a long time. What does he think of a government that got elected on one thing, is doing something else and keeps changing its mind, going back and forth on this issue?”

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  Signal 38 of 100

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“I support French culture and French-language media. Does the member really think the government can tax big streaming services without those companies raising prices for Canadian consumers?”

“Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of serving on the official languages committee during the last session, so I understand the issues facing Quebec and francophone media. I support efforts to promote francophone culture. Can the member elaborate on whether his party believes the government can impose a levy on the major streaming platforms without those companies passing their costs on to the Canadian consumer?”

“The government's streaming law failed. It created more problems for our arts and culture industry and is making Canadians pay for it. I want the Liberal member to admit this.”

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to quote Michael Geist, Canada research chair in Internet and e-commerce law: “Patching the old broadcast contribution system onto the Internet was never a good idea, and starting over creates an opportunity for a much-needed full reset and the chance to provide more sensible answers to those questions.” Would the Liberal member agree that the Liberal government failed with the Online Streaming Act, simply creating more problems for Canadians and the arts and culture industry, and is once again having Canadians foot the bill?”

“The Prime Minister promised a trade deal with the U.S., but we got no deal and more tariffs. He also gave up a fee that would have funded French-language media. Does the member agree that he gave up that funding and got nothing in return?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister assured Canadians that a deal would be reached with the U.S. Now we have no deal and more tariffs, and he has made a concession on the levy that would have provided funding for francophone media. Does the member agree that the Prime Minister gave up funding for francophone media and got nothing in return?”

“Why do the Liberals make promises, like helping culture in Quebec, but never deliver real results?”

“Mr. Speaker, why do Liberal promises, such as their pledge to support Quebec’s cultural sector, never translate into concrete results?”

“The Prime Minister promised to protect Quebec culture, but he let American tech giants avoid paying into our cultural sector. The $600 million he promised to Quebec has still not arrived. Did the Prime Minister give up our cultural sovereignty to please the United States, leaving taxpayers and artists to pay the bill?”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister said that protecting Quebec culture and the French language was important enough to walk away from trade negotiations with the United States, yet he backed away from requiring American streaming giants to contribute to our cultural sector. The $600 million he promised has still not reached our friends in Quebec. Has the Prime Minister sacrificed Canada’s cultural sovereignty to appease Washington? If he has not, why are American tech giants off the hook while Quebec artists, French language producers and Canadian taxpayers are left holding the bag?”

“The government broke its promise, created a digital services tax, and then cancelled it. It said dropping the tax would help talks with the United States, but it did not help at all. What good did dropping the tax actually do?”

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my esteemed colleague. As always, it was fascinating listening to him speak. He shared part of his personal journey with us today, explaining that he first discovered Canada through TV5. We are delighted that he chose to settle in Canada with his family. My colleague spoke about the need for consistency. On that point, I would remind the House that this party, this government was elected on a promise not to implement a digital services tax initially. It later introduced one, only to then withdraw it, arguing that doing so would create more room for negotiations with the United States. Can my colleague provide an assessment of the actual impact that the decision to withdraw it has had on negotiations with the United States? In my view, there has not been any benefit.”

“The Liberals make expensive promises and do not deliver. They promised hundreds of thousands of homes, but very few were built, and fewer rentals are available. Can the member share more examples of broken Liberal promises?”

“Mr. Speaker, it seems that the Liberals are very good at making really expensive promises to much fanfare, but the results are totally opposite or non-existent. I think of housing. They promised hundreds of thousands of houses, and we are seeing a fraction of that. We are seeing a decline in housing, as far as new construction and making better availability for people renting go. I wonder if the member could share any more examples of where the Liberals are making lots of promises and not keeping them.”

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  Relevance 13 of 100

  None of this question addressed the preceding speech or the topic under debate.

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