Thank you, Madam Chair.
Minister, I was very disappointed a year ago when I saw your government backtrack on the digital services tax, more specifically on web giants that make money here, but don't pay their fair share of taxes. That decision was made on the basis that it would allow Canada to conclude an agreement with the U.S. government by July 2025. Obviously, that didn't happen.
That said, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, which the government claims is an independent tribunal whose decisions must be enforced, is requiring online platforms such as Netflix to invest more money in the creation of Canadian content and shift their contribution from being self-funded to being paid.
However, we learned this week that the government was reversing that decision, because it irritated the Americans and it was better not to make them chip in. Your colleague Marc Miller acknowledged that. This means the government will pay the tax itself.
It's good that there's money for the creation of Canadian content, but isn't it important that even American multinationals that come here and make money pay their fair share?
I understand this requirement is an irritant—by the way, the American ambassador called it that—but isn't it a sign of weakness to act this way and lay down arms before the Americans, even before starting negotiations?