Canadian Heritage Committee on Sept. 24th, 2025

[Bienvenu-Olivier Ntumba, Liberal, Mont-Saint-Bruno—L’Acadie, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you, Ms. Mondou.

Mr. Champoux, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Ms. Mondou, earlier you mentioned Bill C‑63, which you are using as a basis for your work in preparation for the future. Do you take into account the reports adopted by the committees? Bill C-63 has not been passed, but studies were conducted in committee during the 44th Parliament, and the reports were recently adopted. One of these reports dealt with the harmful effects of sexually explicit material online.

Do you take committee reports into account, or do you know just as much?

[Isabelle Mondou]

We take all reports into account, including those from this committee. We also take private members’ bills into account. There are two, one from a senator and one from a Conservative MP. We look at all of this because all parliamentary work is extremely relevant to our work.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

I am glad to hear that, Ms. Mondou, because some witnesses came before us to share some extremely difficult experiences, and that seriously deserved to be taken into account, even though the study had not yet been officially adopted at that time. Thank you for clarifying that. It’s very interesting.

I would now like to talk about sports. We haven’t talked about it much, but there has been a lot of turmoil in the world of sport in recent years. There is a lot of talk about providing a safe environment for young people to develop in sports.

Can you tell me a little about the progress that has been made since this last made headlines, for the wrong reasons as we know, and we discussed it?

[Isabelle Mondou]

A commission was established to make recommendations on the future of sports, and it published its interim report two or three weeks ago. It consulted with a wide range of people in the sports community to refine its recommendations, which are very ambitious. The Secretary of State for Sport said that the government would be following this very closely.

In the meantime, other things have been done. You may recall that a team was set up to conduct more in-depth follow-ups on issues arising in certain organizations, such as Hockey Canada, Canada Soccer and so on. This team conducted these follow-ups and put plans in place with the organizations, often based on recommendations from an external expert on the health of the organizations. The previous minister, Minister Qualtrough, also required organizations to have a slightly different code of conduct and governance, with certain provisions that are now required in order to obtain funding.

Finally, there is an independent body that reviews complaints from people who have unfortunately been victims of abuse in the system. This organization was transferred to another organization and relaunched in April, and the person managing the program comes from a trauma-informed background. So this is someone who has that kind of experience. It’s still early days, but it seems to be working.

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you, Mr. Champoux.

Mr. Généreux, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Ms. Mondou, I would like to clarify something. The analysts always prepare a document for us before meetings where we hear from witnesses. I would like to thank them for their excellent work. From what I understand, program spending reductions will be 7.5% in 2026–2027, 10% in 2027–2028 and 15% in 2028–2029, for a total of 32.5%. However, earlier, the minister said it was 15%.

I just want you to confirm that it is indeed a 15% reduction and not a 32% reduction that the government or Mr. Champagne has requested for all departments for the next three years.

[Isabelle Mondou]

In fact, that is exactly right: 7.5% for the first year, 10% for the second and 15% for the third. After that, the 15% reduction will be maintained for all new departmental budgets. The budget cuts are therefore less significant in the first year and will gradually increase to a maximum rate of 15%.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Agreed.

The minister also spoke about efficiency measures, mentioning Telefilm Canada and another organization that I unfortunately cannot remember.

[Isabelle Mondou]

It’s the Canada Media Fund, or CMF.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

I imagine, then, that in your analysis of the budgets, you are considering the possibility of restructuring programs or checking for duplication or triplication of items in order to optimize your department’s overall spending. Personally, I think that is an excellent thing to do.

I say this because I have been wondering about something. Since they learned that I sit on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, some organizations in my constituency have contacted me to ask why their allocated budget has already been reduced.

Have you already begun reviewing the programs and conducting an analysis?

Have you overhauled the program in recent years? Have you looked at the money paid to festivals, among other things?

Even though the Minister of Finance and National Revenue has asked for a further 15% reduction in spending, have you already been working on this for some time?

[Isabelle Mondou]

Madam Chair, that’s a good question.

I’ll say two things.

First of all—and this will answer Mr. Myles’s question—we are always reviewing our programs. For example, there are new things. Earlier, my colleague reminded me that during the pandemic, we subsidized small venues that were closing down.

After that, we realized that this was really helping the sector, which is why we carried out a pilot project, FACTOR, in which money is paid out, in order to find out whether this or that could be a more effective avenue. So I would say that we are always trying to refine our work, and that we have learned things during and after the pandemic, to mention only that.

In addition—and this may also answer part of your question—with regard to efficiency measures, we are in the process of modernizing our programs within the department to make them more accessible to our organizations, but also to streamline and speed up the process for us.

One of the challenges for our organizations is that our application processes are cumbersome. They take time and require resources. So we are really making an effort in that regard right now. For example, the Canada Strong Pass program was proposed in a very simple way in just a few weeks. People only had to fill out a one-page form.

We are also trying to improve the customer experience for people who submit applications, so that they don’t have to spend their time filling out really complex forms.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

You should give your tips to the Quebec government for SAAQclic.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Let’s assume that our budget is $2 billion and that we want to reduce it by 15% over three years. If my calculations are correct, that would be about $300 million less out of $2 billion.

Ms. Côté, you do the math. I hope mine is correct.

I said $2 billion, but it could have been another figure. I didn’t check the data provided to see if it was accurate—

[Isabelle Mondou]

That’s very good. It’s $1.9 billion.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

You see, it’s not so bad after all.

So we’re talking about a potential reduction of $300 million over three years. That amount means you will inevitably make savings.

Earlier, the minister said that today, people watch everything on an iPad, they no longer watch television, and so on.

There are probably no representatives from Telefilm Canada or other film-related organizations in the room today. However, to return to the minister’s remark, this would mean that there are artisans, artists or organizations that may have to start worrying and think that the use or consumption of their products is different today, which would result in a reduction in their potential federal budget. Have I understood correctly?

[Isabelle Mondou]

Thank you for your question.

The review of our audiovisual organizations mentioned by the minister was conducted as part of the study on broadcasting and telecommunications legislation, which resulted in the Yale Report. Some of you may remember it.

This study involved a fairly in-depth consultation process, which led to the modernization of broadcasting legislation, including a proposal to overhaul the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The third component was really a reorganization of our audiovisual sectors to reflect the new reality. For example, when someone produces a work, regardless of what it is, they may not even know whether it will take the form of a film, a series or a number of episodes, for example. They then have to knock on several doors.

The Yale report already recommended—

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

When was this report released?

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

I’m sorry, Mr. Généreux, but your speaking time is up. I already let you go a little over time because I realized it was a very important response.

The next person to speak will be Ms. Royer, who will have five minutes.

[Zoe Royer, Liberal, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Thank you so much. It's so great to see so many of you here.

Partnership with indigenous peoples is central to reconciliation. In Port Moody, we have the beautiful Burrard Inlet visionary, Coast Salish artist Tasha Faye Evans, who brought forward a project called “In the Presence of Ancestors”. It features, over time, five house posts that will surround the Burrard Inlet, just off the Shoreline Trail. Tasha has been working in concert with other Coast Salish artists and the Port Moody Ecological Society.

Can you highlight how the Department of Canadian Heritage is supporting indigenous-led efforts to preserve and share languages, traditions and cultural heritage across Canada?

[Isabelle Mondou]

There are many programs. I will start with the one the minister referred to.

Since the adoption of the Indigenous Languages Act, we have a program. Under this program, we have really put the onus back onto first nations, Inuit and Métis to decide how they want that money to be spent. It's really now at the stage of their knowing better than we do, so we work with a committee, and they're the ones who make recommendations on the program. It's about preserving language. It's amazing. Some languages were almost disappearing, and some are coming back because of the efforts the communities are making to bring them back.

There is a cultural side. As you say, these things are very interlinked. We see them separately; they see them as completely interlinked.

For most of our programs—I will name the ones that the minister discussed—we have indigenous communities that apply. Whether it's for the arts, music or a museum, all of our programs are totally open to support. With music, for example, there are even envelopes specific to indigenous creators. The department has done a lot of work to make these programs as accessible as possible and to make sure that there are also envelopes for artists, musicians and all the talent in the indigenous community.

I also want to mention repatriation. It's important for indigenous communities to bring back or at least to decide what they want to do with objects that come from their communities, and the museum program also supports some of those efforts.

I will say that it's a multi-faceted approach. Obviously, we still have a lot of work to do, but I'm proud of the fact that we have developed quite a large tool kit for indigenous people.

[Zoe Royer, Liberal, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

I really appreciate that.

This project is very important to the community. There are eight nations whose lands Port Moody is on: the Kwikwetlem, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Squamish, Katzie, Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Stó:lō peoples. The inlet is of cultural significance, so it's very important that we work in partnership.

I have a second question.

You're likely familiar with the iconic Science World in Vancouver, beautiful British Columbia. It is the second-most photographed building in North America, second only to the Statue of Liberty.

Science World has been making a lot of impressive progress under the green and inclusive community buildings program. They had an extensive roof repair. They actually had a leaking roof—that dome. They had new HVAC solar panels and insulation upgrades, reducing energy use by over 40% and cutting greenhouse gas emissions by more than 66 tonnes annually. However, the revitalization project does not cover the extraordinary geodesic dome theatre—their essential systems, such as sound, projection and seating—which will require an additional $10 million to $12 million.

Given the importance of Science World as both a cultural and an educational hub, could you speak to possible funding streams whereby major heritage and cultural facilities like this can access the funding that they need to complete the work?