Kristina Tesser Derksen · TranslatePolitics.ca

Statements by Members

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award

2026-06-16

“I want to cheer for a sports broadcaster who lives in my riding. His long career and a famous call make him a good feel-good story.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to recognize the recipient of the 2026 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, Georgetown's own Chris Cuthbert. Chris has been a dedicated member of the sports broadcasting community since his time at Queen's University, now serving over 45 years as a sports broadcaster. People might recognize him as the lead play-by-play commentator during CBC and Sportsnet's Hockey Night in Canada, captivating those of us in the stands and watching at home, or from his iconic call of Sidney Crosby's golden goal at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is given to those who have made outstanding contributions to the broadcast profession in the game of hockey, and Chris is the epitome. His persona reflects resilience, passion and positivity, marked by an overall strong engagement in the sport. He has been a wonderful link for hockey fans for many years, and his broadcasting is one of my favourite parts of game day. I congratulate Chris.

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Government Orders

Protecting Victims Act

2026-06-09

“I worked with women who suffered from abuse. I think this bill will help women. I want my colleague to say that this bill will help women.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what a heartfelt speech from my colleague. I am so glad I was here to hear it. I have mentioned in the House before that I worked as a family law lawyer. I worked in the violence against women sector, and I worked with women who were fleeing violence at home. Oftentimes, more than once, I would have a woman in my office who would just stop and say, “Gosh, I really do not know how I got here. This is not how I pictured my life.” When she would look back, she would see that the beginning steps were almost imperceptibly small, and it usually started with what we now call coercive control, whether it was financial, emotional or social. I wonder if my colleague would like to comment on how Bill C-16 seeks to address criminalizing coercive control and making women feel more confident in coming forward.

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“I want to complain about some misinformation I claim Conservatives are spreading online about our bill. I used to help abused women as a lawyer. A constituent asked me about a video from a former Conservative MP. I don't like how they're making it harder for us to pass our bill.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I listened with great interest to my colleague's speech. I worked as a family law lawyer, and I assisted women who were fleeing violence at home. However, one of the things that I noticed, which has been very challenging to deal with, is the amount of misinformation that constituents are reaching out to me on about Bill C-16 because of what our Conservative colleagues are putting out on their social media. In fact, just tonight, a constituent of mine emailed me asking about a video he had seen posted by the former Conservative member from Peterborough, and thank God she is the former member, which was basically saying all kinds of nonsense about Bill C-16. How does my colleague see this manipulation of information by our Conservative colleagues affecting how his constituents understand Bill C-16?

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Government Orders

Build Canada Homes Act

2026-06-09

“I used to be on a city council. Cities have to juggle many things at once. Housing is one of their big issues. How will this bill make things better for cities?”

Government Orders

Main Estimates, 2026-27

2026-06-08

“I'm a lowly backbencher. I have no power. But I'll pretend to care about your request. Our government wants to look like it is collaborative and strong.”

“I want us to spend more money on the space program, because our astronauts are great. I don't like that question because it makes us look bad.”

“Defence spending will create jobs and grow the economy in all our ridings. I'm finding businesses in my riding that can get money from these investments too.”

“Thanks for complimenting our government's huge new military spending. I won't address any risks or flaws you raised. Everyone thank the troops!”

“Don't blame me. It was the other guy's project, and it's hard because America is involved. We'll have news for you soon.”

“I want to look like I support the military. I am asking for a lot of money for the military. We need more money for defence because the world is dangerous. We need more money for military pay, recruitment, and healthcare. We need more money for ships and planes and other equipment. We need more money for the Coast Guard too. All these things need a lot of money. Canadians should know we are trying to save money too. We are investing in the military but also trying to save money.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak to the 2026-27 main estimates for national defence and to this government's efforts to rebuild, rearm and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces. We all know the global threat landscape has changed. The threats we face are numerous and multiplying, from incursions in the Canadian Arctic to attacks on our cyberspace. Canada cannot meet these challenges with yesterday's tools. The first job of the government is to keep Canadians safe. Our government is protecting Canadians and supporting our allies with an approach that transforms defence procurement. We need a ready and resilient Canadian Armed Forces that can recruit and retain skilled people and that has the training, infrastructure and modern capabilities needed to succeed in today's complex and volatile security environment. Defence and security have become the nation's top priority, as evidenced by the significant increase in planned spending in the 2026-27 main estimates. We are requesting $50.7 billion for the Department of National Defence. That is $15 billion over the previous year, roughly a 42% increase in funding. That includes an additional $5.1 billion in operating funding, $7.1 billion in capital funding and $2.3 billion in grants and contributions. These are significant investments in Canada's security, our sovereignty, our alliances and our people in uniform, who give so much of themselves to serve this country. Last year, Canada spent 2% of GDP on defence for the first time in nearly four decades, ahead of its original schedule. With these main estimates, we are continuing that momentum, working toward NATO's new defence investment pledge of 5% of GDP by 2035. That commitment includes 3.5% for core defence requirements and 1.5% for broader defence and security-related spending. In fact, the Prime Minister noted at CANSEC that Canada is already meeting that 1.5% target for critical defence infrastructure. These estimates will help us support our people, strengthen our preparedness and build the partnerships Canada needs in a more dangerous world. A significant portion of this funding, $1.3 billion, reflects last year's historic pay increase for members of the Canadian Armed Forces to better reflect the unique challenges and sacrifices of a life of service. Improved compensation also strengthens recruitment and retention, reinforces readiness and gives members in uniform greater certainty as they serve. The estimates also include $274.9 million for CAF recruitment and training. This will help update processes and systems to improve the applicant experience and grow the pool of prospective members. It will also modernize training so new members can get up to speed quickly and start contributing sooner in the roles they signed up for. There is also $274.5 million for Canadian Forces health services to care for our people serving across Canada and overseas. Compensation, benefits, health care and predictable support are all necessary to support military readiness. Equally necessary are the capabilities to defend Canada, support North American security and contribute to peace and stability with our allies and partners. The CAF must be prepared to operate at home and abroad, defend Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic, strengthen continental security through NORAD operations, contribute to collective defence through NATO and support other missions that enhance global peace and regional stability. These estimates include funding for those operations, as well as contribution funding for military training and capacity-building activities. They also include $7.3 billion for in-service support to ensure the availability, reliability and long-term sustainability of military equipment. We are also requesting $1.2 billion for fleet equipment readiness to give the defence team the direction and resources needed to adapt and respond to a more dynamic and complex security environment. Canada also needs to make major investments in future capabilities. That is why we have included $12.8 billion for multi-stage procurements that will allow the CAF to operate effectively now and for decades to come: river-class destroyers, joint support ships, Canadian multi-mission aircraft and other major equipment and infrastructure investments. These will strengthen Canada's sovereignty in the north, protect maritime approaches, support deployed operations, contribute to continental defence and operate alongside allies. The Canadian Coast Guard is also part of the national defence main estimates. The $4 billion we have included for the Coast Guard will go toward capital funding, operating funding and grants and contributions. The Canadian Coast Guard will continue to deliver its critical missions of search and rescue, icebreaking, environmental response, safe navigation and ocean science. However, as part of National Defence, it will now play a greater role in Canada's security, collaborating with security and defence partners to share information, coordinate activities and enhance training, strategic planning and innovation, because in a country with three oceans and the world's longest coastline, the Coast Guard's maritime expertise is a national asset, and it is one of great pride. All of these investments are necessary to boost Canada's preparedness in a precarious world. We need to plan, be strategic and maintain the discipline required to focus our resources where they deliver the greatest value. We know, too, that we cannot do this alone. Defending Canada and contributing to global stability is a national effort that demands strong partnerships across the government, industry and academia and with our allies. That is why National Defence's grants and contributions have increased significantly, with $3.3 billion in the main estimates to support programs, organizations and recipients whose activities advance Canada's defence mandate. A large part of this funding supports Ukraine through the military training and co-operation program. It includes contributions to NATO initiatives that benefit all allies while strengthening Canada's access to shared decision‑making, intelligence, capabilities and interoperability. We are also strengthening Canada's defence industrial base. That includes establishing a new Canadian defence industry resilience program. These estimates include initial investments for this program, which will strengthen Canadian sovereignty and increase production capacity for Canadian defence businesses. It will also support Canada's ability to produce nitrocellulose, which is a critical, high-demand, energetic material for artillery. We are collaborating with innovators, academics, defence and security experts and other partners through programs such as IDEaS, innovation for defence excellence and security, and MINDS, mobilizing insights in defence and security. All of these partnerships help turn Canadian expertise into defence capability. They support innovation, domestic capacity and Canada's ability to contribute to allied security with greater resilience and independence. In conclusion, Canadians expect their government to protect the country, support the people who serve and manage public funds responsibly. We want to reassure them that National Defence continues to find savings through the comprehensive expenditure review. The departmental plan outlines approximately $460 million in operating cost reductions, beginning in 2026‑27 and continuing through to 2028‑29. These measures include continuing the fleet divestment strategy, streamlining the real property portfolio, expanding energy performance contracts and modernizing project approvals and internal business processes. That work reinforces the same principle that runs through these estimates. We are spending with purpose, focusing our resources and delivering better value for the defence team, for CAF members and for Canadians. We are investing in people. We are investing in preparedness. We are investing in partnerships. The 2026‑27 main estimates support Canada's path towards NATO's new defence investment pledge and they reflect this government's commitment to rebuild, rearm and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces. The world has changed, and Canada's defence investments are changing with it.

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Oral Questions

Employment

2026-06-08

“I want the Secretary of State to cheer for our government's big spending programs. Then I want them to claim that even more spending will grow the economy later too. More taxpayer money can fix everything!”

Government Orders

Build Canada Homes Act

2026-06-05

“That was a good speech. Our government announced money for job training. That program will go nicely with the plan to build houses quickly. We want Canadians to think we are accomplishing something with the housing bill. I want Canadians to think our government is helping workers. Let's talk more about our plans. Let's make it look like we are doing something useful.”

Government Orders

Protecting Victims Act

2026-06-04

“That's bad. I want the court system to be easier for women victims. I want Bill C-16 to pass so government can say it helps women. The bill will make courts faster for victims. I want more time for complex cases too. I want the government to spend money to help women victims.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question from my colleague. During my work in the legal field with women who were experiencing intimate partner violence, many of them experienced hesitation and trepidation in coming forward because they were not confident that the justice system could be easily navigated or address their needs. This bill speaks directly to that concern by ensuring that courts can have earlier responses, respond faster and deliver stronger results for victims. We are also including testimonial aids for victims, so that they do not have to relitigate and relive their traumas in court. We also want to ensure that they have a speedy result. At the same time, we have to make sure that more complex sexual assault and sexual abuse cases have the time they need in the courts without encountering unnecessarily long delays and being thrown out, as we saw in the Jordan decision.

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“There is no proof that mandatory minimums work. I claim they give people trust and confidence. We spent lots of time talking here about giving folks trust and confidence. The charter has lots of challenges. Our government will find a middle ground. I think mandatory minimums work. But I'm very focused on charter compliance. That's what's important.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is a great question about mandatory minimum sentences. We had great discussions about that in this House. I do agree that the research on justice does tend to show that mandatory minimum sentences do not necessarily deter crime. However, they do provide more trust and more confidence in the justice system. What our government is trying to do here is find that middle ground where we can ensure that folks have confidence in justice, and I believe there is some element of deterrence there as well, but at the same time we are making sure that we are compliant with the charter. As we know, there have been a lot of charter challenges with respect to mandatory minimum penalties, and this is a balance that we have to negotiate here in this House.

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“I thank my colleague for his work on that bill. We are glad to see bills like that moving through the House. It is our job to advocate for those who do not have voices. I will continue to work with him to elevate those voices in this chamber.”

“I want to protect victims and support survivors of crime. This bill will do that by strengthening the criminal law's response to gender-based violence and improving protections for children from sexual exploitation. We need to name these crimes as femicide and coercive control, and make sure predators face prison time. Laws shape culture, and we need to protect women and children.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address Bill C-16, the protecting victims act. This bill represents an important step in reinforcing Canada's commitment to protecting victims and supporting survivors of crime. When I was a law student, I worked in a community legal clinic in Toronto. Interacting and advising women who were living with domestic coercion and violence was a sobering experience for me. I was privileged to work with lawyers in the violence against women and children sectors where I learned much more about the cycle of abuse, a malignant dynamic that was afflicting so many families. Later, when I worked as a family law lawyer, I encountered many women trying to navigate the legal system while simultaneously attempting to break free from the financial, emotional and social coercion that their intimate partners exercised over them. It had taken many years for some of them to even recognize they were victims of such control and manipulation. Isolation from their families, friends and social supports; restrictions to accessing their own money; and erosion of their self-worth and value through psychological manipulation were regular symptoms I encountered. Of course, there were limits to the help I could provide as a new lawyer, and I was grateful for the community groups and social supports that I was able to refer my clients to for that help. My early career as a family law litigator also taught me of the pervasive obstacles these women faced and continue to face in accessing justice through the legal system. My experiences with these women and their families inform the words I bring to this House today and ratify my support for our government's action to protect them. Bill C-16 advances four core goals in protecting victims: strengthening the criminal law's response to gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and femicide; strengthening protections for children against sexual exploitation, particularly in online spaces; improving the treatment of victims; and addressing delays that undermine confidence in the justice system. I will focus today on how the bill would enhance the criminal justice system's response to gender-based violence and improve protections for children from sexual exploitation. Every two days in Canada, a woman is killed by her intimate partner. This extreme form of violence is both devastating and disturbingly prevalent. These realities demand a strengthened and explicit response in our criminal law. We can strengthen the Criminal Code through Bill C-16 to ensure that murders occurring in certain aggravating circumstances are treated as first-degree murder, the most serious offence in the Criminal Code. These include murders of intimate partners that occur in the context of a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct, murders that occur in the context of sexual violence or exploitation, and murders motivated by hate, including based on gender. The bill would also treat manslaughter occurring in these same circumstances more seriously by requiring sentencing judges to consider imposing the penalty applicable to second-degree murder: 25 years of imprisonment. Importantly, Bill C-16 would explicitly refer to these killings as femicide. Words matter, and naming these crimes matters. In doing so, we recognize and acknowledge that women and girls are disproportionately the victims of these forms of homicide, and it reflects victims' lived realities. While femicide represents the most extreme form of gender-based violence, such violence often takes many other forms, including mental abuse. Abusers may exert control by isolating intimate partners from family and friends, monitoring communications, controlling finances or making threats involving children. This pattern of coercive or controlling conduct often precedes intimate partner femicide. Through the protecting victims act, a new offence would criminalize engaging in a pattern of coercive or controlling conduct toward an intimate partner. The new offence is modelled on Scotland's approach, which is widely regarded as the gold standard because it does not require proof that the victim feared for their safety. Clearly defining “coercive control” in the Criminal Code is intended to help law enforcement identify the true aggressor in intimate partner violence cases and reduce the risk of dual charging by requiring a contextual assessment of power imbalances and patterns of exploitation of vulnerabilities. This approach recognizes that coercive controllers often target vulnerabilities, while violence used by victims is often defensive. The new offence would be supported by training to support the offence being applied by law enforcement in a manner consistent with its core objective of protecting victims. To complement these reforms, the protecting victims act would modernize the criminal harassment offence by removing the need to prove the victim's subjective fear, instead requiring proof that a reasonable person in the victim's circumstances would perceive a threat to their physical or psychological safety, reducing the need for survivors to relive their trauma in court. The protecting victims act would also respond to an emerging form of digital-based gender violence: sexual deepfakes. While child sexual abuse material is already criminalized regardless of whether images are real or fictional, the existing offence for non-consensual distribution of intimate images does not clearly capture AI-generated images that are indistinguishable from real ones. Bill C-16 would address this gap by ensuring that sexual deepfake depictions of identifiable persons that appear real and are distributed without consent are treated the same as real intimate images, affirming that consent is required regardless of how the image is created. The bill would also criminalize threatening to distribute intimate images, including deepfakes, to address sextortion and intimidation and would increase the maximum penalty for the offence from five to 10 years' imprisonment. The proposed legislation contains a range of measures to better protect children from sexual exploitation, including online. For example, significant concerns have been expressed about child sexual offence mandatory minimum penalties, MMPs. While Parliament has been signalling that sexual crimes against children should be treated as far more grave by increasing MMPs, courts have struck many of these MMPs down as violations of section 12 of the charter, which characterizes them as cruel and unusual punishment. Our government is responding to this through the proposed protecting victims act. We propose to reinforce these MMPs for predators who create, possess or distribute child sexual abuse and exploitation material by allowing judicial discretion, in rare cases, where applying an MMP would be grossly disproportionate in the facts of the case before the court. The protecting victims act would ensure those who prey on our kids face prison time for the most heinous crimes imaginable, by reviving 13 MMPs for child sexual offences that were previously struck down by courts. This approach is designed to protect and preserve mandatory minimum penalties while ensuring they continue to apply to the serious crimes they are intended for, thereby addressing the court's constitutional concerns under section 12 of the charter, cruel and unusual punishment. It is an approach that members of the opposition have supported very well. The protecting victims act also proposes reforms that would modernize offences that target sexual exploitation, sextortion and child luring and child sexual abuse and exploitation material. These reforms include creating a new offence that would prohibit threatening to distribute child sexual abuse and exploitation material; expanding the child-luring offence so it would explicitly apply to those who communicate with children to sextort them; criminalizing the distribution of bestiality depictions, including deepfake ones, which is conduct that is known to be used to manipulate children for sexual purposes; expanding certain child sexual offences to protect children from those who may invite them to expose their own sexual organs for a sexual purpose, including where no physical touching occurs; and ensuring Canadians who sexually assault children abroad could be prosecuted at home. The proposed reforms also seek to strengthen requirements for Internet service providers under the mandatory reporting act, which imposes duties on Internet service providers, including one to notify police when their services are used to commit a child sexual abuse and exploitation material offence. Service providers would have to preserve data for a longer period of time and transmit critical information to law enforcement. The act would also more clearly cover a broader range of online platforms and would extend the limitation period for the prosecution of offence under that act. Finally, to address those who recruit and involve youth in the commission of criminal offences, Bill C-16 proposes to create a new offence that would prohibit recruiting, counselling, encouraging or inviting a young person to be party to a criminal offence. These reforms are necessary. They move Canada forward toward a justice system that recognizes modern forms of abuse, protects survivors before it is too late and refuses to allow predators to hide in technology, bureaucracy or legal loopholes. I mentioned earlier that every two days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner. That day came for Darian Hailey Henderson-Bellman, a 25-year-old woman who lived in my riding. She was killed by her intimate partner, a man who had numerous interactions with law enforcement and should never have been released into society after he was previously charged with domestic violence. The system failed Darian and her family, but her murder is not in vain. Through the valiant and dedicated work of her parents, Flo and Paul Henderson, Darian's story has been shared and discussed, including in this very House. Darian's story and those like hers play a key role in the fabric of this legislation. We owe it to women living under the shadow of coercive control, we owe it to the children who are confronted with threats on their phones and we owe it to victims who wait for years for justice only to be turned away. Laws shape culture, and culture shapes safety. When we call femicide by its name, we expose misogyny for what it is. When we prosecute sextortion, we protect dignity. When we protect children, we protect our country's future. When we expand victims' rights, we honour their courage. I implore everyone in the House to support these reforms because safety is not optional, dignity is not negotiable and justice should not be a privilege; it must be a guarantee.

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Government Orders

Business of Supply

2026-05-28

“I suck up with kind words. I use nice words instead of answering. I want the government to make rules that help my friends. We should use government money to make things more fair. Everyone should watch Canadian shows.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, my colleague's French is certainly better than mine, and I hope to speak as well as she does one day soon. Absolutely, it is important that we continue to encourage Canadian talent to be highlighted, and I have mentioned this in some of my other remarks. We have had some great programs lately that have really gotten us a lot of international attention, and we want to keep that up. I think the government's role is to continue to level the playing field, to continue to incentivize producers to continue producing within Canada, but at the same time to make the message clear that we want Canadian content at the forefront and for it to be encouraged and lifted up. I think the way we do that is to continue doing what we are doing, to incentivize, but also to make sure that the fairness is there for our Canadian artists. I would encourage everyone to get out this weekend to take in some Canadian content to help with that.

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“I want to cheer for a program that spends money in my riding. I'm learning French and I like cartoons. I think they're a central part of our identity.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question. Certainly, a big feature of what the CRTC is trying to do is highlight, encourage and elevate the voices of Canadians, including indigenous, regional and certainly francophone artists as well. I will just mention that I am learning French, as is probably evident from my speech, and as I was raising my children at home, often I would be able to turn on Canadian television and they could watch French cartoons, such as Caillou. Does everyone remember Caillou? I actually started learning French that way as well. I think it is very important that we continue to elevate the voices of our francophone artists. They are a true, central part of our Canadian identity. It is important that they be protected and allowed to thrive.

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“I want taxpayers to spend more on my program. I'm filling time arguing over the word 'tax'. I want to regulate the film industry to make the content more Canadian.”

“I want more regulation. I'm going to talk a lot about Canadian content and culture to justify giving the government more power over online broadcasting.”

Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise today on behalf of the constituents of Milton East—Halton Hills South. Today I rise to speak in support of the Online Streaming Act and its implementation by the CRTC. On May 21, 2026, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released two regulatory policies implementing Bill C‑11, the Online Streaming Act. Those rulings focused on a modernized framework for Canadian programming expenditures, the discoverability of Canadian content, and support for television services of exceptional importance. The CRTC decision reduced the obligations on Canadian companies that are losing market share, while imposing for the first time Canadian expenditure requirements on streaming companies. The CRTC struck a balance between those producing Canadian television and those of us who watch it. The decision creates a fair, flexible and adaptable framework that supports Canadian artists and the growth of Canadian creative industries. I am not here to defend the CRTC's decision. Rather, I am here to talk about the important work of future-proofing the Canadian broadcasting sector, which started almost a decade ago. This recent CRTC ruling is just one milestone, significant as it is, in a long journey to modernize the Canadian broadcasting system. It is the culmination of several years of work from legislators in this very House and the CRTC. Let us take a look back. As members know, the Online Streaming Act was the first major reform of the Broadcasting Act since 1991. Thirty-five years ago, Canada was still building its place in the global screen sector. We were still fighting for space and recognition. Today, Canada has one of the strongest and most respected audiovisual ecosystems in the world. It includes film and television, animation and documentaries and, increasingly, digital and interactive content. We are a global production hub, we develop world-class talent and we have built institutions that have supported generations of creators. This is a source of pride. Canada has one of the strongest audiovisual sectors in the world, and that did not happen by accident. Our culture is the result of deliberate decisions made by Canadians to support it, and the Broadcasting Act is no exception. It is an essential cultural legislative text. Thanks to this system, generations of Canadians have grown up listening to Canadian music on the radio and watching Canadian shows and films on television. A distinctly Canadian space allows us to share our stories in order to better understand each other and to better grasp what it means to be Canadian. Before the Broadcasting Act was modernized, we were clearly at an inflection point. The industry was evolving faster than our policy frameworks were designed for. Business models were upended. Audiences were fragmenting. Technology was transforming how content is created, financed, distributed and discovered. That pace of change was not slowing down. As the revenues of traditional radio and television broadcasters stagnated and declined, so did the level of support for Canadian music and stories, and for the creative professionals behind them. Changing viewing habits put the future of Canadian audiovisual content at risk, as audiences moved away from traditional broadcasters, who are subject to Canadian content requirements, toward foreign, largely United States-based online streaming services. These streaming platforms had no obligation to support Canadian content, until the Broadcasting Act was updated by the Online Streaming Act. Let us review the role of CRTC. Through the Online Streaming Act, the government sought to give the CRTC the powers and tools needed to regulate online broadcasters fairly, including by imposing regulatory requirements by way of conditions of service. The act established the foundations for all service providers, including streaming services, to contribute fairly to the broadcasting system. Canadian studios and creators should not be disadvantaged. Canadian culture deserves a supportive and conducive environment for its flourishing both online and off-line. This is what the Online Streaming Act has made possible. How were the online streaming services brought into the system in the first place? The Online Streaming Act modernized the Broadcasting Act by confirming that online broadcasters are subject to Canada's regulatory framework. In November 2023, the government issued policy directions to guide the CRTC during its implementation of the Online Streaming Act. Those directions required the CRTC to ensure that streaming services would make meaningful contributions to the broadcasting system and that there would be robust consultation with industry stakeholders and civil society. Since that time, the CRTC launched several consultations and conducted public hearings to gather input on various aspects of the Online Streaming Act implementation, with a view to modernizing the broadcasting regulatory framework in the public interest. Canadian programming should be widely available on streaming platforms. The Online Streaming Act ensures that Canadian stories and music are supported and showcased on major streaming platforms operating in Canada, alongside the significant volume of U.S. and foreign content available on these services. The growth of online streaming services has opened the door to an unprecedented range of content choices for Canadians, yet in this vast digital landscape, Canadian stories and creators can be difficult to discover and recognize. The Online Streaming Act helps ensure that Canadian voices, music and shows remain visible and accessible to audiences across the country. Supporting the discoverability of Canadian content is not just about entertainment. It is about reflecting our experiences, our perspectives and our identities to Canadians. When people can see themselves in the stories being told, it helps strengthen a stronger sense of connection, pride and belonging. The implementation of the Online Streaming Act aims to support the long-term viability of the Canadian broadcasting system while strengthening our cultural sovereignty in a rapidly evolving digital environment. Canada is a hub of creativity, innovation and exceptional emerging talent. It is essential that our creators and cultural industries continue to have the opportunity to grow and succeed. Achieving this goal requires a modern and fair framework in which all broadcasting services operating in Canada contribute equitably to the Canadian broadcasting system and support the creation and promotion of Canadian stories and music. Traditional broadcasters already contribute to Canadian productions, from the development of Canadian programs through Canadian programming expenditure requirements and through contributions to production funds. However, until the recent CRTC decision, online broadcasters operated in the Canadian market without similar obligations to support Canadian music and stories. Canadian broadcasters have delivered incredible Canadian content for decades. They invested in the system and helped create the content that so many of us love. It is only fair that online streaming platforms should have to contribute in an equitable way. As the CRTC continues to implement the Online Streaming Act, the ultimate goal remains unchanged: to ensure that the approach is comprehensive, fair, evidence-based and compliant with international business obligations. The Online Streaming Act is a cornerstone of our approach to enabling Canadian creators to thrive in a modernized broadcasting system. This remains a priority for our country. The government remains committed to the Broadcasting Act and its objectives. We want to ensure that our children and future generations grow up as we did, with the opportunity to watch our stories and listen to our songs. Entertainment is how we share experiences, emotions and ideas. It is what allows us to build a shared culture and identity. Today we have a world-class audiovisual industry, one that creates extraordinary content, supports over a hundred thousand well-paying jobs across the country and contributes in a major way to our economy. Canada's artists, creators and cultural entrepreneurs are at the heart of our identity. Their work drives innovation, creates jobs and ensures that Canadian stories are heard at home and around the world. We are telling Canadian stories that travel. We build intellectual property here at home. Those stories are increasingly one of our most valuable cultural and economic assets. That is important because this is not just cultural expression anymore. It is an export, and it is a key part of how Canada diversifies its economy in a rapidly changing global environment. The Online Streaming Act equips our broadcasting system to meet the known and immediate challenges of today and to help brace for the challenges of tomorrow.

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