Debates of May 26th, 2021

Canadian Heritage

[Martin Champoux, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Speaker, those fine intentions are music to our ears. However, it seems that the Liberals do not understand the important role they have to play in advancing this work. They are the ones who decide which bills to prioritize on the calendar. They are also the ones who delayed the appearance of two ministers in committee.

In the meantime, the future of francophone arts and culture is at stake. The Bloc Québécois reached out to resolve the problem quickly. The cultural sector is watching us and wants an answer. When will the Prime Minister accept the Bloc Québécois's offer to help pass Bill C-10?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Bill C-10 seeks to level the playing field between Canadian creators and web giants. It forces powerful foreign broadcasters to provide information on their revenues, make financial contributions to Canadian stories and music and enable different audiences to discover our culture.

We will continue to work diligently and enthusiastically to protect the Canadian and Quebec cultural sector as we have done all along since coming to power in 2015.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, in 2018, the current Liberal Minister of Justice said, “Our government supports an open Internet where Canadians have the power to communicate freely and have access to the legal content of their choice.” That seems like a good idea.

Sadly, Bill C-10 does the exact opposite. It actually takes choice away from Canadians by dictating the content they should and should not view online. It is sneaky. It is controlling, and it is wrong. Why is the Prime Minister insisting on regulating the Internet?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, just as Canada's analysis confirms that Bill C-10 remains consistent with the charter's guarantee of freedom of expression, Bill C-10 aims to level the playing field between creators and web giants.

It requires big, powerful foreign streamers to provide information on their revenues in Canada, to financially contribute to Canadian stories and music, and to make it easier for individuals to discover our culture.

The bill explicitly says that obligations apply to web giants only: not to Canadian users. Web giants have gone unregulated for far too long. Our government has chosen action over reaction.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister insists on misleading the House and thereby the Canadian public.

In 2017, however, the Prime Minister was committed to defending the concept of net neutrality, which is the principle that Internet users should have equal access to all sites, all content and all applications without blocking or giving preference.

Now, he wants to put an Internet czar in place in order to promote some creators and demote others. It is wrong.

With Bill C-10, the Prime Minister is turning Canada into the most digitally regressive democracy in the world. Why?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, in 2017, the Conservatives demonstrated they did not understand net neutrality, and they certainly do not understand it now.

Bill C-10 seeks to promote Canadian music, storytelling and creative works. It does not affect the work and activities of Internet service providers in Canada. It has no impact on Canada's commitment to net neutrality.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Wow, Mr. Speaker, I thought the Prime Minister was going to mansplain net neutrality there for a moment, but it looks like he does not even understand the definition because he could not define it.

The Prime Minister tries to mislead Canadians by saying that Bill C-10 is against web giants and it is about promoting Canadian artists and content. Let us have some fun and do a little quiz.

There is a movie called Ultimate Gretzky. It is about none other than Canada-born Wayne Gretzky, who is often described as the greatest hockey player ever. It was also filmed largely in Canada.

Could the Prime Minister tell us if this movie is Canadian enough to pass as Canadian content?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, for many years, Canada has put in place measures to support and promote Canadian content and to create the kind of film and production industry that led to the creation of much of the great content the hon. member is talking about.

The fact is we made choices to highlight and privilege Canadian content over foreign content. That is exactly what we are going to continue to do, and give the CRTC the tools to do, in an increasingly digital world to make sure we continue to find, tell and share stories of great Canadians like Wayne Gretzky.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Mr. Speaker, that was embarrassing. There was a lot of um's and ah's and a few stumbles, yet the Prime Minister is not able to define Canadian content. He likes to talk about it a lot, though.

Let us talk a little more about Canadian creators, shall we? Brian Wyllie from Calgary is an expert gamer who has over a million followers on Twitch. Montrealer Kiana Gomes created a whole business using TikTok. Sadly, these self-made creators just are not Canadian enough to be considered artists by the Liberals. Bill C-10 would punish them, demote them and prevent them from being further successful.

Why is the Prime Minister hell-bent on punishing these ingenious creators?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, what we have demonstrated from the very beginning of our time in office in 2015 is that we are there to support Canadian content and Canadian creators right across the country, particularly after a Conservative government did nothing but attack culture and content creators, and limit the cultural industries in this country.

We will continue to stand up for producers and creators of great Canadian content right across the country. Bill C-10 is about giving the CRTC the tools to do just that in a world where people do not only get their Canadian content from CBC or CTV or on the radio.

We need to make sure we continue to support Canadian content. That is exactly what we are going to do. It is no surprise the Conservatives do not get it.

Labour

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, we are still in the midst of a third wave of COVID-19, and things are pretty scary.

A surge in COVID-19 cases in Manitoba has overwhelmed the hospitals, and they are now sending patients to Ontario. We have learned that many of the cases come from workplace transmission, which is not a surprise: We have long known that workplace transmission is a concern. That is why New Democrats fought to bring in paid sick leave. The problem is that it is not working.

Will the Prime Minister commit to fixing the federal paid sick leave program so we can save lives in Manitoba and across the country?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we made a commitment at the beginning of the pandemic to have Canadians' backs, whatever it took, for as long as it took, and part of that was moving forward on sick leave. We brought in a federal sick leave program that people could apply to, particularly those who are gig workers, who are self-employed and who do not have access to sick leave through their employers as many jurisdictions do. We recognize that the best way to deliver sick leave is through employers: workers could call and say they could not go in because they might be coming down with COVID, and employers would be able to continue to give them their paycheques and support, but that has to happen through the provinces.

We did our part from the federal side. We need to make sure the provinces do their part as well.

Post-secondary Education

[Jagmeet Singh, NDP, Burnaby South, BC]

Mr. Speaker, the president of Laurentian University had several meetings with the Liberal government to discuss the university's difficult financial position. Although this situation was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Liberal government refused to help the university. Why did the Prime Minister refuse to save Laurentian University?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, we will always be there to defend Canadians, especially linguistic minorities, and that is what we will continue to do.

It is crucial that we have quality post-secondary institutions for francophones in Ontario. These institutions are vital to official language minority communities. We are carefully following developments in this matter, and we are ready to collaborate to ensure that francophones in northern Ontario have access to a quality post-secondary institution.

We recognize that this is a provincial jurisdiction. We will work in partnership with the Province of Ontario to ensure that francophones have quality services.

COVID-19 Emergency Response

[Hedy Fry, Liberal, Vancouver Centre, BC]

Mr. Speaker, over a year ago, Canada was hit with the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Canadians faced daunting challenges, our government supported us and we banded together. Sadly, some chose to sow fear for partisan gains. Contrary to claims by the Conservative health critic, we received our first COVID-19 vaccines in 2020, not 2030, and all will have access to vaccines by September 2021. Canadians need to remain positive and [Technical difficulties—Editor].

Can the Prime Minister list the rollout dates to dispel this fearmongering?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, my hon. doctor colleague for Vancouver Centre is absolutely right. Our plan is working.

I would like to share some important dates to remember: on December 13, 2020, the first vaccines touched down at Pearson airport; on December 14, 2020, the first shot was administered; and, as of this weekend, May 22, more than 50% of Canadians had received their first doses. That number is going to keep going up fast because millions more doses are coming. It is clear that working together as one big team Canada is paying off.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I want to remind hon. members that under the COVID conditions where we have people joining us virtually, we do not have the numbers to absorb the sound in the chamber, so when members shout to speak, it is like they are talking directly to a person. If they are going to heckle, maybe they could do it respectfully with a lower tone.

The hon. member for Richmond—Arthabaska.

Canadian Heritage

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we were shocked yesterday to hear the Minister of Canadian Heritage say that Bill C-10 would not limit net neutrality in any way.

However, in Bill C-10, the Liberal government gives the CRTC more powers to regulate social networks, blogs, online gaming sites, apps and even audiobooks.

I have a very simple question for the Prime Minister. Does he believe that regulating these platforms is in keeping with the principle of net neutrality, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, some time ago, the Conservatives demonstrated that they did not understand net neutrality, and they certainly do not understand it now.

Bill C-10 seeks to promote Canadian music, storytelling and creative works. It does not affect the work and activities of Internet service providers in Canada. It has no impact on Canada's commitment to net neutrality.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I invite the Prime Minister to open the dictionary and look up the definition of net neutrality. I think he will get a good idea of what it is.

His Minister of Justice stated on May 22, 2018, that the Liberal government supports net neutrality to ensure that all Canadians have the power to express themselves freely and access the legal content of their choice.

The government cannot say it supports net neutrality while introducing measures in a bill that restricts it. Is the Prime Minister on the side of his Minister of Justice, who is in favour of net neutrality, or on the side of his Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is undermining freedom of expression on the Internet?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, it is a shame to see Conservatives attacking the Canadian cultural industry once again.

Justice Canada's analysis confirms that Bill C-10 remains consistent with the charter right to freedom of expression.

Bill C-10 aims to level the playing field between Canadian creators and web giants. It requires powerful foreign broadcasters to provide information on their revenues, to contribute financially to Canadian stories and music, and to enable different audiences to experience our culture. This is what we will always strive to do.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, an internal memo given to the Minister of Canadian Heritage by senior officials clearly states that applications such as YouTube, TikTok, Amazon Prime, NHL.TV, MLB.TV, RDS Direct, Sportsnet Now, Google Play, Cineplex, PlayStation and many others would be subject to CRTC rules.

Can the Prime Minister tell us if he really thinks it is a good idea to regulate all these applications, yes or no?

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, despite the Conservatives' attacks on Quebec and Canadian creators, we want to emphasize that an individual who posts on social media platforms will never be considered a broadcaster under Bill C-10.

The obligations that apply to the web giants will not apply to Canadian users. This protection is clearly set out in clause 2.1 of the bill.

Why do the Conservatives continue to hammer on this? It is simply because they do not support Canada's cultural industry.

[Alain Rayes, Conservative, Richmond—Arthabaska, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to the Prime Minister, unfortunately, he did not read Bill C-10 and did not follow the committee's work. If he had, he would have seen that, by removing clause 4.1, the government was clearly attacking freedom of expression by legislating the Internet.

I read out a whole list of apps that did not come from Conservative offices but from an internal memo from senior officials that was personally given to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The Prime Minister needs to do his homework, look at the document, stop attacking the Internet and the freedom of expression of all Canadians, and stop leading people to believe that there are members in the House who are against culture.

[Justin Trudeau, Liberal, Prime Minister]

Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers and all Canadians have seen what is happening in the House for a long time.

The fact that the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP can rally today to support content creators in Canada says a lot about the position of the Conservatives, who are once again attacking Quebec culture, Canadian culture and the cultural industry, which sustains us, inspires us and creates so many jobs across the country.

We will continue to be there to support our cultural industry and our artists, despite the Conservatives, who never miss an opportunity to attack culture here in Canada.