Canadian Heritage Committee on May 5th, 2026

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 36 of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.

Before we begin, I would ask all in-person participants to read the guidelines written on the updated cards on the table in front of you. These measures are in place to help prevent feedback incidents and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including our esteemed interpreters. You will notice that there's a QR code on the card. It links to a short awareness video.

Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), the committee commenced consideration of the main estimates 2026-27: vote 1 under Canada Council for the Arts; votes 1, 5 and 10 under Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; vote 1 under Canadian Museum for Human Rights; vote 1 under Canadian Museum of History; vote 1 under Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21; vote 1 under Canadian Museum of Nature; vote 1 under Canadian Race Relations Foundation; vote 1 under Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission; votes 1 and 5 under Department of Canadian Heritage; votes 1 and 5 under Library and Archives of Canada; vote 1 under National Arts Centre Corporation; vote 1 under National Film Board; votes 1 and 5 under National Gallery of Canada; vote 1 under National Museum of Science and Technology; vote 1 under Telefilm Canada; vote 1 under The National Battlefields Commission; referred to the committee on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

We will vote on those main estimates at the end of today's meeting.

We have with us today, for the first hour, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages.

Also with us are officials, who will stay for the second hour. We have Francis Bilodeau, deputy minister; Andrew Brown, associate deputy minister; Joëlle Montminy, senior assistant deputy minister, cultural affairs; Blair McMurren, associate assistant deputy minister, cultural affairs; and Véronique Côté, chief financial officer.

Welcome to everyone. Thank you for being here with us today.

We will begin with an opening statement from the minister.

Should you wish to take them, five minutes are yours, starting now.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture and Minister responsible for Official Languages]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I do wish to take them. I think you've given about half of my speech.

For clarity, I will repeat part of it.

Madam Chair, vice-chairs and members of the committee, thank you for being here and for inviting me to speak to you today on the main estimates for 2026-27 for my portfolio organizations and Canadian Heritage funding.

I'd like to begin by acknowledging our presence on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

In this time of uncertainty marked by a changing economy and a shifting global order, protecting what defines us as Canadians and defending our cultural sovereignty and our ability to tell our own stories in our own languages matters more than ever to every Canadian.

As we focus on building a strong Canada, the mandate of Canadian Heritage is central to these efforts. This mandate is also deeply rooted in our local communities, as culture is not limited to large urban centres. It's lived out in our cities, towns and rural areas. It thrives when we support local organizations and programs, empower local artists and creators, and ensure that Canadians, no matter where they live, have access to cultural experiences close to home.

As part of the 2026-27 main estimates, a total of $1.9 billion is allocated to Canadian Heritage. This includes $1.6 billion in grants and contributions, directly supporting local initiatives, projects and celebrations across the country, including Canada Day; $218 million in operating expenditures; and $33 million in statutory items. The funding will enable the department to deliver on its five core responsibilities: creative arts and culture, heritage and celebration, sport, diversity and inclusion, and official languages.

For example, main estimates funding of $471 million will go towards arts and culture programming, ensuring that our creativity, culture and languages are protected in the face of the rise of AI and remain discoverable in the digital age. This funding will also support local journalism so that Canadians can access reliable local news, and advance our efforts to modernize federal support for Canada's audiovisual sectors so that our screen industries can continue to succeed with films, series and digital content that resonate with audiences at home and around the world.

In addition, renewed investments will support local festivals and events that bring people and communities together while expanding access to arts across the country.

Canada is a sport nation. Sport has the unique power to bring us together. As we make generational investments in sport, from the playground to the podium, the $311 million dedicated to sport in this year's main estimates will help build a safe, inclusive and robust sport system. These investments will expand access to sport for all, support our athletes, act on the recommendations of the Future of Sport in Canada Commission and bring Canadians together around world-class sporting events that support jobs, tourism and local economies, such as the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup.

A further $234 million is also dedicated to supporting communities targeted by racism, hate and discrimination. Everyone in Canada should feel safe, regardless of who they are, who they love and how they pray. This funding is critical to combatting hate, strengthening inclusion and creating opportunities to build bridges between people. It will also support the independent review of the Indigenous Languages Act happening this year. It is a landmark piece of legislation that has enabled historic investments of more than $1.4 billion to help indigenous communities reclaim, protect and pass on their languages to future generations in their own way.

Main estimates funding of $621 million will support our core responsibility to protect and promote Canada's two official languages, including the implementation of the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act. This is a crucial step in ensuring that workers and consumers can work and receive services in French, while clarifying the responsibility of businesses.

Finally, I am pleased that $124 million is being allocated to expand access to our history and heritage, notably through the renewal of the Canada Strong pass this summer. As families plan their vacations, this pass will help them save money when visiting museums, historic sites and national parks, as well as when travelling by train. Last year, half a million children and 115,000 youth benefited from either free or reduced-price access to museums.

We are making life more affordable, but we are also passing on our history and shared culture to future generations. It's also why budget 2025 made clear commitments to protect what makes Canada unique and what brings Canadians together.

Budget 2025 provides an additional $328 million for Canadian Heritage over four years. It is funding that will be made available later this year through the supplementary estimates. It also includes $336 million over three years for Canadian Heritage portfolio organizations, the majority of which will likewise be reflected in the forthcoming supplementary estimates.

With respect specifically to the estimates today, Canadian Heritage portfolio organizations will receive $2.4 billion in appropriations. Their work will directly strengthen the Canadian economy, support jobs, stimulate innovation and preserve and celebrate our cultural heritage.

Our culture in our nation is vibrant, unique and diverse. It's the thread that binds us together. As we build Canada strong for all, those investments are key to protecting what defines us as Canadians, strengthening our shared values, defending our cultural sovereignty and ensuring that our public institutions meet the needs of this sector and the expectations of Canadians.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I will now be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you, Minister.

Mr. Andrew Lawton, welcome to the heritage committee. You have the floor to start us off, I understand. You have six minutes.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Minister.

One of the items under your oversight is the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which has a budget this year of, I believe, $28.7 million. Are you aware of the museum's recent campaign against parental rights?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Your definition of that, Mr. Lawton, is quite broad, so you'll have to elaborate, which I'm sure you will—

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

I'm actually using the museum's definition. On March 31, they said, “Over the last few years, the ‘parental rights’ movement has been growing in Canada, which aims to deny 2SLGBTQI+ youth their fundamental rights.”

The Museum for Human Rights, funded under your budget, says there are four myths perpetuated by parental rights. One of these is that parental rights are about protecting children. Another is that there are only two genders. Another is that parents should have the ability to raise their children as they see fit. Are those things—parents being able to raise their children—things we should be actively discouraging?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I think you draw an easy conclusion to a number of the premises you're putting forward, Mr. Lawton. The first one we need to disabuse ourselves of is what my role is in telling a museum, which is indeed a portfolio organization, what to do or what not to do. There is a board that has the capacity to define policy, specifically, on dealing with human rights.

Also, I think you would agree with me that it is important to protect members of the LGBT community, including the younger members of it who are in the process of questioning who are they are, and making sure that their human rights are respected.

Again, that's more editorial to something that is more fundamental, which is that museums do not have policy dictated to them by the Canadian government.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

The Museum for Human Rights says that the parental rights myth of protecting children is used as a justification for hate speech. Do you agree or disagree with that assertion?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I think what you need to do if you're very interested in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights—it's in Winnipeg, a beautiful city—is visit it and perhaps organize a meeting with the CEO and ask her those questions yourself.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

You just give them the money, and if they want to declare a campaign against parental rights, that's totally fine.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I think that's more of a statement than a question, Mr. Lawton.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Okay. Thank you very much.

Creative export Canada also falls under your portfolio. This is a program to promote visibility and funding to help Canadian creative works achieve success abroad. I think all of us would like to see that happen. I'm wondering what the benchmarks for success are.

There's one here, a video game called Card Scramble: Viola's Diner, which looks to have been made in, like, 1997 by the graphics. It got $400,000 to export an online game. How does an online game get exported, and why does that cost $400,000?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

In fact, those nineties graphics get a lot of kids playing them. Perhaps you have played Minecraft.

I recently visited EA in Richmond, and 88% of the work they do, including Plants vs. Zombies and FIFA, is exported, and it generates massive revenue for Canada. I think that sort of speaks for itself. Smaller entities do need support, but you can scrutinize....

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

You've answered the question, Minister.

Fruit Golf, which is a game that was under the creative export Canada program, got $67,000. It has 22 reviews online, so clearly it didn't achieve much success. Where's the benchmark for whether this sort of funding is actually achieving anything?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

If you were to put your review online it would have 23.

You are welcome to scrutinize....

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

Your knowledge of math is wonderful, Minister, but that's not why we're here.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Thank you. It was no walk in the park.

The reality is that the benchmarks for success are multiple. One, depending on the category that we are supporting.... The creative export strategy is important, particularly in an industry that has not done enough to export amazing Canadian content. You may question the form and substance of it, but I'm quite proud of that creative export strategy. The Prime Minister renewed it for $20 million a year, because we have to make sure that our people are producing content that not only is consumed within Canada but also is exported.

The success of the massive game providers is one thing, and one benchmark to measure things by, but often these start-ups do have hesitating starts. That's the reality of it. We can't fail to invest in them simply because they may fail in the future. It's about taking risk.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

You mentioned supporting local journalism as being a key part of your role. It has been just under three years since Bill C-18 received royal assent, and local media outlets are still frozen out of being able to share their content on Facebook or Instagram, a direct response to government policy—a decision made by Meta, but a response to government policy. How are local outlets benefiting when they now cannot compete and actually get eyeballs on their content through the biggest ways that people would love to be consuming news?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

I won't get into, here, the ongoing discussions with Meta because they are difficult, no question. I would highlight the early success with Google that provided us $100 million a year. It's up for renewal in a little bit. That went directly into small journalism to make sure they were being supported. It isn't an ideal situation, but I would highlight, MP Lawton, that when it comes to Bill C-11 and Bill C-18, these were bills that were notably delayed and filibustered in the Senate by your party.

[Andrew Lawton, Conservative, Elgin—St. Thomas—London South, ON]

You're putting more money into the local journalism initiative, more money to bankroll media. Why not just stop blocking them from being able to access audiences that could monetize their content?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

That may seem to be a simple solution. It would not fundamentally transform the industry by allowing people to share news on Facebook. If you talk to Facebook, they have varying approaches as to what that actually meant. It was a declining revenue model, they think, for them. There's no question that it isn't ideal that people can't post news on Facebook.

[The Chair, Liberal, Lisa Hepfner]

Thank you.

Mr. Al Soud, you now have the floor for six minutes.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair. It's great to see you, as always.

Thank you all for being with us today.

Minister, it's always good to have you in committee. The last time we spoke in the context of this setting was on supplementary estimates (B). At the time, you had just recently been appointed to your portfolio. I made a point of asking you about your priorities and how you thought those were reflected in the supplementary estimates (B). A lot has happened in this space over the course of the past few months. You highlighted this in your opening remarks as “a shifting global order”. There was a conference in Banff; $755 million was invested into sports in the SEU.

I would like to give you the opportunity to speak to, perhaps, how your priorities have changed over the past few months and whether you find that those are now reflected in these main estimates.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Al Soud.

First and foremost, I want to highlight the historic investment that's been put into sport. This has been 20 years in the making. It would be inaccurate to claim that victory for myself. It is really because of the leadership of Secretary of State van Koeverden, who has fought a good chunk of his career to make sure that people—whether in elite categories or not—have the opportunity to play sports because of what it does for the country and for kids themselves; their mental health, their physical abilities and their ability to succeed in school.

Thanks to that generational investment of $750-plus million, our chances for our kids to podium in the next few years have just increased. Their chances of succeeding in school have increased. Their chances of being happier have increased. I think that's a good thing, and it falls squarely on the shoulders of Mr. van Koeverden for having convinced the Prime Minister and his colleagues to make that investment. It does fall under my portfolio, so I think that is a great victory.

I've been in this position for five months. It is becoming increasingly clear that we have to act quickly to make sure that we are dealing with our kids who are getting impacted by all the harms that we see online. We have lots of laws in this country that can punish, whether in a criminal context or a civil context, people once the harm has occurred. We have very few laws that protect the kids from the harm occurring in the first place. There are a variety of reasons why we are behind a number of countries. I won't rehash that, but I think that is a huge priority.

As always, protection of our official languages of two founding nations is key, as well as making sure that indigenous languages are properly supported, particularly in a year where the Indigenous Languages Act is up for review and there is a renewal process for the commissioners in place.

Also, given the importance the media plays, it's to make sure that we have a healthy ecosystem, as the media continues to be challenged by the reality in an ecosystem that is really very much under threat by disinformation, including deliberate misinformation. We have to make sure that we tread delicately, while also supporting independent news broadcasters, because that is a cornerstone of our Canadian democracy.

[Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre, ON]

Absolutely. A second angle that I want to take on here speaks to something that you highlighted. It's this idea of creating opportunities for the next generation. I know you know this is a topic of utmost importance to me. Our country is phenomenal at creating that talent; we have a lot of that talent here. I think of the Alphonso Davies' of the world, the Céline Dions, the legends that are David Myles, the occasional singing we hear from the Bernard Généreux' who we have here on committee.

Could you speak to the importance of creating and fostering that talent in our country and how, perhaps, Canadian Heritage and your department are best suited to do that?