Finance Committee on Feb. 9th, 2026

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Don't tell Mr. Leitão he has 45 minutes left: he might start filibustering, and we might regret it.

Minister, you seem like a trustworthy person. I'm going to take you at your word. You said that the media is the fourth pillar of our democracy. Are private media, private television and local media part of that, or is the fourth pillar made up solely of CBC/Radio-Canada?

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

No, and I think you knew the answer to that question before you asked it. The answer is obviously no. The question that should be asked, and which you may ask me, is: what is the government's role in supporting this pillar?

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Okay.

The budget allocates $150 million to CBC/Radio-Canada for the current fiscal year. You made that promise during the election campaign. You know very well that the Bloc Québécois didn't oppose this specific measure, but we also have private media outlets, particularly television stations, that are facing a very serious crisis.

What does this budget have in store for them, the rest of the fourth pillar?

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

This brings us back to the question I asked myself, namely, “What is the government's role in subsidizing these organizations?” We support them through several tax credits—

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

But what are the new parts of the budget? What are the new measures?

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

You've seen them, they're the ones I laid out.

I know people are going to criticize me for not giving enough money to x, y or z—

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

No one's criticized you, we're just asking questions.

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

It is my understanding, however, that the support for the media went to CBC/Radio-Canada.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Did CBC/Radio-Canada ask for $150 million or did the government offer it up during the campaign? Was there an official submission?

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

I don't know.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

You don't know.

If the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture doesn't know, then who should we ask?

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

I wasn't at the Department of Canadian Identity and Culture during the election, as you well know, so I certainly wasn't talking to CBC/Radio-Canada.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

That's great.

However, the short answer is that there isn't much for these other media outlets. You know, the goal is not to try to corner you, but to reiterate that we believe the entire media ecosystem is important, that these other media outlets are part of the fourth pillar, and that tax credits could also be extended to newsrooms, as is the case for print and electronic media, etc. The goal isn't to corner you, but really to do good for the community by making these proposals. That's why we're making them, obviously reiterating that we think there's very little in the budget for the rest of the fourth pillar. I think our proposals are worthwhile and worthy of consideration.

I'd like to talk to you about the performing arts.

The budget allocates a great deal of money to culture. Your predecessor said so, it's true, and we applauded it, but the Canada Council for the Arts had requested a $140-million increase in funding. This request was supported by the entire cultural industry, yet the budget allocates $6 million. CBC/Radio-Canada didn't ask for $150 million, but it got it. The Canada Council for the Arts asked for $140 million.

What are your criteria for allocating funds, particularly when you allocate them during an election campaign?

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

My first point would be that this is not a binary issue as you describe it. My second point would be that during every fiscal year, there is a decision-making and priority-setting process, and I'd say that this is even more so the case when commitments are made during an election campaign. So—

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

There's still fairly broad consensus on the need to adequately fund the Canada Council for the Arts. So there's a process that starts with a request for $140 million in funding and leads to virtually nothing.

What is this process that leads to nothing?

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

The Council for the Arts will be getting millions of dollars. That's nothing to sneeze at.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

I'm talking about additional funding. There are billions of dollars going to CBC/Radio-Canada as well, and you didn't mention that before giving them $150 million. How can you go from a funding request for an additional $140 million to $6 million when it was requested?

But then you hand out $150 million to CBC/Radio-Canada in the middle of an election campaign because you felt like it.

What is the process that leads to that? As a parliamentarian, I'm curious.

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

I can assure you we didn't just feel like it, and it's no surprise that CBC/Radio-Canada would need money.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

You're unable to confirm that they had asked for it. We looked into this closely, and at no time did CBC/Radio-Canada make such a requestion during the campaign.

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

It's an arm's-length corporation.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Thank you for reminding me that it operates at arm's length.

I would like to briefly mention Ticketmaster and Live Nation. This falls under your department's jurisdiction, and I believe it to be an important issue. In 2010, these two companies merged, and the U.S. Congress is currently pursuing antitrust proceedings against this conglomerate. Since 2019, it has been operating as a kind of cartel that controls 49% or 50% of the market share.

I would like to know what you think about this issue. Have you, in collaboration with the Department of Industry, contacted the Competition Bureau? Is any action being taken here in Canada in this regard?

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

I don't want to speak for the Minister of Industry, but as of now, I have not been in contact with the Competition Bureau.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

Does that worry you?

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

It does. Any kind of monopolistic behaviour in Canada is cause for concern.

When we talk about Evenko, which puts on a lot of festivals, and Live Nation, we certainly have cause to question their behaviour.

[Jean-Denis Garon, Bloc, Mirabel, QC]

It's the role of—