Debates of Oct. 22nd, 2026

Opposition Motion—Funding of the Cultural Sector

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, we should remember that web giants, the billionaires such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, make $4 billion in profits in Canada. Instead of imposing levies on those who rake in billions of dollars in profits, the government is proposing to take Canadians' money, $600 million, and invest it in culture. The government has not yet paid that out; the sector is still waiting for that money.

Can my colleague explain to me why taxpayers should be forced to pay instead of companies that are making billions of dollars in profits? Elsewhere in the world, including in Europe and France, these companies are forced to pay levies. However, that has not made any difference to the cost of people's subscriptions. This is not a matter of affordability. These companies can afford to pay. The government needs to explain why it refuses to make them pay.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I understand why this is important for everyday Canadians. This is an affordability question as well. The culture sector is important to Quebec, and we understand that. That is why in the 2025 budget we included $770 million for it. I do not understand why the Bloc Québécois would vote against that and now ask a question about why we are trying to put this bill to consumers.

Just like how broadcasting is making money and paying it back, the giant Internet industry should be paying. It should not be taking this for granted. That is why we tried to do that. We realized it did not work, and we are trying something different.

[Marilyn Gladu, Liberal, Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague talked about the work she was doing on the Library of Parliament committee and how it can inform the government's continued support of the cultural sector. I wonder if she could elaborate on her support there and the work of that committee as well.

[Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin, ON]

Mr. Speaker, the Library of Parliament does very important work, and Canadian culture and francophone culture are exhibited through it as well.

Canada's creative export strategy is very important, and it was announced in the spring economic update that it was permanently renewed, with an investment of $95 million over five years and $19 million per year thereafter, so that we could attract talent and give equal—

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

The hon. member for Madawaska—Restigouche.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I am very happy to discuss support for the cultural sector today. Our government has always been committed to supporting culture and creators, as evidenced by the additional $600 million we are investing to support the cultural sector in Canada. That announcement from June is in addition to the funding already announced in budget 2025. Over the last 12 months, we have announced more than $1.5 billion in funding to support the cultural sector across the country. As a reminder, these investments are being made at a time of economic uncertainty. I think that speaks to the importance our government places on supporting culture.

I believe supporting culture is crucial, because our culture is what brings our Canadian identity to life and reinforces our sense of belonging. Our cultural references are what make us truly Canadians. Culture is about telling our stories and our history. Culture is also our legacy for future generations. It is not frozen in time, because artists contribute to our evolving identity through their creations.

In addition to being a central part of our Canadian identity, arts and culture are a driver of economic prosperity. We need only think of all the economic benefits that cultural events generate for Canadian communities. These include performances, festivals, art galleries, the tourism appeal of having a packed calendar of events, and the local jobs that these events create. According to the data, the cultural sector contributes tens of billions of dollars to the GDP every year, making it a major economic contributor.

What is more, arts and culture contribute to the vitality of our communities. Cultural events and festivals are places for the community to gather. They strengthen the social fabric.

When we see local creators succeed, it makes us proud. There is a wealth of local talent in my riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. The whole community celebrates when local artists shine in major performances, in national or international music competitions, or in any other art form. It is always a joy to see local artists succeed.

I want to take this opportunity to underscore the important work being done by our local cultural organizations and societies. Small community organizations are often the ones that keep culture alive, organize events, activities and different workshops, or program regular live performances and events. Without the work of teams and volunteers, our communities would go without the cultural activities they have now. While they often have few staff and limited resources, their volunteers are dedicated. I therefore want to commend the work of everyone involved in the cultural life of our society and thank them for it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the federal government's support for these organizations. Through its various funding programs, the government provides support to the Société culturelle de la Baie des Chaleurs in my region, as well as organizations in Kedgwick, Hauts-Plateaux, Chutes and Saint-François, and the Centre des arts La petite église in Edmundston, to name just a few. Those are all cultural organizations in my riding that have all received federal funding over the past year through various programs, enabling them to provide high-quality cultural programming to the people of our region.

When we talk about supporting the cultural sector, we must also support the venues and institutions where culture is brought to life in our communities. Let me give a concrete example. In my region of Madawaska, the New Brunswick Botanical Garden is an important contributor to the cultural vitality of the area. In addition to showcasing our local flora and offering visitors the opportunity to explore beautiful themed gardens, the botanical garden also hosts numerous cultural events throughout the year that regularly receive support from the federal government.

I am thinking in particular of the Sortie branchée en Acadie, which is an event that takes place every August. It is a truly festive occasion at the Botanical Garden. There are musical performances by local and visiting bands, which bring together many people from the community. Many people come from all over to see the talented musicians performing at the Botanical Garden. It is also a time for families to come together. There is a whole range of activities, particularly cultural activities. For the 2026 event, the federal government contributed close to $20,000. In the fall, in early October, I attended the Grande Grouille festival at the Botanical Garden, another important event in my region.

The Grande Grouille is truly a special event because the Botanical Garden is decked out in fall colours. There are Halloween decorations and thousands of pumpkins, some of which are lit up. Visitors can stop by during the day or night. A whole range of activities are available, including musical performances. Children paint pumpkins in schools. Competitions are also organized. It really is a wonderful, community-building event, which attracted over 25,000 visitors this year.

Again, I am happy that our government contributed in various ways to this event's success. As part of the building communities through arts and heritage program, the botanical garden received $30,000 to organize the Grande Grouille and Jardin emballé. Jardin emballé will take place in November. I was saying that the Grande Grouille is a celebration of fall. Jardin emballé will offer a taste of Christmas magic. There will be a big public market showcasing local makers. There will be music again. This is another example of a cultural event hosted at the botanical garden, and I am very pleased that my government contributed to it.

When I talk about supporting arts and culture, I also think about how important it is to support our festivals. I can say that, during the summer, there is a lot going on in the riding of Madawaska—Restigouche. There is an event every week. There are tons of festivals livening up our communities. They bring people together and attract visitors to our region. They give local artists a chance to perform on stage. They also allow us to welcome artists from outside the area. There are farmers' markets where local artisans can showcase their products. All these summer activities keep our communities vibrant and contribute to the cultural life of the region I represent. Through various programs, the federal government provides some of the funding for our festivals.

I am thinking in particular of the Grand Falls Potato Festival, the Saint-Quentin Western Festival, the Kedgwick Fall Festival, the Salmon Festival, the Campbellton Bluegrass Festival, and the Sortie branchée en Acadie festival I just mentioned, to name just a few examples. These events bring our communities to life and contribute to our cultural vitality, and I am very pleased to see, once again, that our government is supporting these types of events.

Speaking of arts and culture, I would like to highlight a special event that takes place in my riding. The Rendez-vous des artistes is held every year in Saint‑Léonard, in the municipality of Vallée-des-Rivières. This symposium is the largest gathering of painters and sculptors in the maritime provinces, giving visitors the opportunity to see more than 100 artists at work in one place. It is really amazing because they set up huts along the paths in a park, so people can walk the whole route and admire the work of artists from New Brunswick and beyond.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to speak with some artists. They told me that the symposium in Saint-Léonard is often their favourite summer event, particularly because of the warm welcome they get and the layout with the huts. This year, the federal government once again provided funding to the Rendez-vous des artistes to support the organization of this event.

I want to highlight this because, when we talk about supporting the cultural sector, I think of events like this one in Saint-Léonard. It is a cultural hot spot and brings a community to life. It helps to showcase artists and sculptors from New Brunswick, as well as those from elsewhere.

Since we are discussing the various programs that support culture, I would also like to mention the Celebrate Canada program. This program provides funding for major celebrations, including Canada Day and National Acadian Day. National celebrations in Ottawa certainly have their place, but we must also celebrate locally, thereby honouring our Canadian identity, or our Acadian identity on August 15. It is essential that local communities have the resources they need to organize celebrations during the summer, whether on July 1 or August 15.

Those are very busy days indeed. We tour my whole riding of Madawaska—Restigouche to experience all the different celebrations taking place, and I can confirm that federal funding is a big help, especially considering that budget 2025 doubled the funding for National Acadian Day this year. This made a tremendous difference for our communities. It ensured that we could have amazing festivities, hire local talent and truly celebrate our Canadian and Acadian identity.

In closing, let me reiterate that supporting culture and creators is a priority for our government, as evidenced by the concrete measures we are taking, the many different programs we are offering and the investments of more than $1.5 billion we have made over the last year alone.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my colleague, we are talking about $600 million that was promised for this year but never delivered. My colleague spoke so highly of culture, festivals and whatnot in his speech that I seriously doubt that this opposition day motion will yield any sort of solution.

Maybe my colleague has not spoken with groups like Quebec's REMI, the Regroupement des événements majeurs internationaux, and Festivals and Major Events Canada, or FAME. Honestly, these groups had a lot more funding during Stephen Harper's era.

What does my colleague have to say about that?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out to my colleague that the $600 million was in addition to the investments already provided for in budget 2025. More than $1.5 billion has been invested to support the cultural sector in the past 12 months alone.

I meet with representatives from many cultural organizations in my riding, as well as from national organizations working in the arts and culture sector. We are working together to determine whether the current programs meet their needs.

Sometimes we have discussions about how we could improve certain programs to better meet the needs of different creators. I am thinking in particular of organizations that represent the francophone cultural community outside Quebec. I speak regularly with key players in this community, and support for the cultural sector is one of the topics we discuss.

[Dalwinder Gill, Conservative, Calgary McKnight, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister assured Canadians that a deal would be reached with the U.S. Now we have no deal and more tariffs, and he has made a concession on the levy that would have provided funding for francophone media.

Does the member agree that the Prime Minister gave up funding for francophone media and got nothing in return?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague, whom I miss on the Standing Committee on Official Languages now that he is no longer a member.

I would like to point out that, under the old approach, no amount of money reached the cultural communities on the ground. Under the approach we have promoted, this year, $600 million has been allocated directly to support cultural communities. We are also working on a new strategic direction for the implementation of the Online Streaming Act.

As we continue that work, and while we are also holding discussions with our international partners—indeed, Canada does not operate in a vacuum either—we are providing money directly on the ground.

That means we are able to do both of these things at the same time.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Dieppe, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from Madawaska—Restigouche for his speech and for his work on official languages.

In his speech, he mentioned that the government had doubled the funding for National Acadian Day.

Could he talk about the importance of this funding and its impact on our official language minority communities?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, Acadian civil society had been calling for this for a long time, so I am very pleased that we not only doubled the funding for National Acadian Day, but also made it permanent.

This funding enables our local Acadian communities to celebrate our Acadian identity in a big way. August 15 is an important day for us, and it is integral to our identity as Acadians. It is when we come together as a community and express our pride. We hold tintamarres, make music and participate in a wide range of family activities.

This funding gives our communities the means to celebrate on a grand scale. It also helps us organize and fund the big August 15 concert, which was held in my colleague's riding this year and will take place in Campbellton, in my riding, in the summer of 2027. I am really looking forward to taking part in that event next summer.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened carefully to my colleague, and I would simply like to point out to him that the $600 million that has not yet been distributed is far less than what could have been collected through the levy.

Does he think it is acceptable to reach into the pockets of all Quebeckers and Canadians instead of asking the greedy tech giants, which make $4 billion in profits each year, to do their part to support our cultural sector?

How can he justify that to his constituents?

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I would say that the key word in my colleague's question is “could have”. No money was paid to the sector. However, this year, over the next few months, $600 million will be distributed to support the cultural community thanks to the approach we have taken.

In fact, we have already announced that we are working on a new policy direction for the implementation of the Online Streaming Act. While we were discussing the best approaches with our international partners and looking into these issues, we were aware that the cultural sector needed an immediate injection of funding. That is why we announced an investment of $600 million this year. We can provide funding and continue to work on implementing the act at the same time.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, first off, I would like to inform you that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Côte‑Nord—Kawawachikamachi—Nitassinan.

First, I would like to warmly congratulate my new colleagues in Quebec's National Assembly who were elected on October 5. In the Laurentians, from the La Vérendrye wildlife reserve to the Rivière des Mille Îles, nine sovereigntist MNAs were elected.

As a sovereigntist, the member for Laurentides—Labelle and a proud member of the Bloc Québécois, I wish to reiterate that I intend to work closely with my counterparts in the Parti Québécois for the future of our nation. The future of our nation depends on promoting what lies at the very heart of who we are: our culture.

I understand the federalist strategy all too well. Control over our cultural destiny is seen as a threat to Canadian unity. That is why the affirmation and promotion of our culture have always been filtered through the lens of federalist policies. The preservation of our heritage and cultural autonomy represents a real and tangible challenge to the broader project of Canadian nation-building.

Faced with Anglo-American cultural hegemony and pushes toward uniformity, Quebec must have the tools necessary to ensure its cultural sovereignty: produce its own works, promote them and make them available to its citizens, and showcase its world view across the globe. Its ability to choose its own cultural destiny depends on it.

When the government backtracks on important legal pillars that have real, tangible and major effects on some of the population's culture, we have every right to question the intentions behind these decisions. As an opposition legislator, it is my duty to do so.

The government will definitely tell us that it has increased CBC/Radio-Canada's funding. It did, and we are very glad it did. CBC/Radio-Canada is a public broadcaster. I am happy to know that in the coming weeks or months, hopefully, Radio-Canada will have reporters based in the Laurentians. We do not have any right now.

Let us turn to TVA, Noovo and private production companies. How can they compete against Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and the others? When production and distribution of cultural products fall into the hands of foreign giants, we risk losing more than just part of our identity.

What we are asking for is not complicated. We must not give up the key ways in which we define our cultural priorities. We must maintain our presence in the public space and make our voice heard around the world. In 2026, as American platforms share their content globally and play a pivotal role in our cultural life, the government is choosing to scrap the digital services tax. Wow. It is choosing to give up one of the few levers at its disposal to get these giants to contribute to the cultural ecosystem where they make their profits. Imagine that. This choice puts commercial interests ahead of cultural interests. Yes, commercial interests come before cultural interests. Refusing to exercise the powers of the state means accepting the power relationship and letting these platforms set the ground rules on their own.

This abdication is an admission of weakness and a profound disdain for francophone culture in North America.

Let me be clear. Without the Bloc Québécois, no one here would take such a strong stand on Quebec culture. I am turning to my Liberal Party or Conservative Party colleagues here, and asking them where they stand on this issue. Defending Quebec culture involves defending the economy. They go hand in hand. Defending Quebec culture involves protecting jobs. Defending Quebec culture involves negotiating with the European Union. We have to stop assuming that protecting culture and creating jobs are mutually exclusive.

The Prime Minister wants to to create closer ties between Canada and the European Union. We can also turn to the EU's defence of culture for inspiration. Europe oversees huge platforms and ensures that its creative works are present and visible on streaming services. A number of its member states have also taken action on a fiscal level.

Let us be bold, and let us take pride in Quebec culture. I know that the Prime Minister understands the value of soft power. I say to him: Let us take pride in seeing Quebec walk the red carpet at Cannes, shine at the Oscars and showcase its artists on the world stage. However, that kind of success does not happen on its own. Without funding, culture cannot thrive. From Théâtre du Marais in my riding in the Laurentians to Quebec TV series that are reaching audiences around the world, every link in the chain matters. We need to support our culture and to show the world what Quebec has to offer. Our culture deserves the government support it needs to create, renew, be passed on to future generations and flourish. That is why it is essential that the government uphold the CRTC's decisions imposing levies on streaming services, as set out in the Broadcasting Act, and that it make the interim payment of $600 million promised to the cultural sector for the current year.

How many questions have we asked? It should be possible to do this within days. Governments know how to move quickly when they want to invest.

The question that I put to my colleague earlier focused on festivals. Culture, cultural events, festivals and tourism development are indeed part of who we are. It is not enough merely to express concern for them or to say that we value them. We must back those words with action. Quebec's cultural sector, like its tourism sector, deserves recognition proportionate to its contribution to Quebec's and Canada's economies and to our collective identity. This is necessary.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the speech by my colleague, the member for Laurentides—Labelle. I am from the Lower Laurentians. My colleague is from the Upper Laurentians.

She spoke about the influence of Quebec and Canadian culture. I can assure her that the 44 Liberal MPs from Quebec who sit on this side of the House care deeply about Quebec culture and the French language. There is no doubt that we defend them wholeheartedly.

Earlier, she mentioned festivals. Every year in my riding, we hold a buckwheat pancake festival. That is culture. Everyone is invited to join us.

I would like to ask my colleague a specific question.

Given that my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle voted against the 2025 budget, which provided unprecedented support for Quebec's cultural industries, why did you vote against it?

[The Deputy Speaker, Tom Kmiec]

I would remind the member to address the Chair, not other members directly, and that we do not refer to how the Deputy Speaker or other persons occupying the Chair have voted.

I invite the Member for Laurentides—Labelle to reply.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I was obviously asking this question of my colleagues here.

Frankly, we were expecting this question. The motion we are moving today is concrete. The question is not how we vote, why we vote or what we vote on. Action is needed. I have no doubt that my Liberal and Conservative colleagues care about culture. However, it is time for my Liberal colleagues to take action. I will believe it when I see it. The $600 million is needed now.

[Helena Konanz, Conservative, Similkameen—South Okanagan—West Kootenay, BC]

Mr. Speaker, why do Liberal promises, such as their pledge to support Quebec's cultural sector, never translate into concrete results?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague, who serves with me on the Standing Committee on Health.

I think that, like me, my colleague has met with representatives from cultural organizations and festivals. There are a lot of changes happening right now, both in terms of public safety and in the allocation of resources. What really matters, however, at the core is diversity and outreach. I do not see why the official opposition would be against this proposal.

[Patrick Bonin, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her great speech. I would like her to say a bit more on the importance of making web giants pay. The government chose to kowtow to Mr. Trump and abandon the idea of imposing levies, even if such levies exist in Europe and have no effect on the cost of monthly subscriptions. Therefore, saying that it is a matter of affordability is simply not true.

Does my colleague have anything to add on that subject?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my answer to my colleague is that this is exactly why we are having this opposition day.

We are asking for the bare minimum, because the government is definitely not considering the Broadcasting Act. It says it wants to build Canada strong, but we can still look to what is being done elsewhere and draw from it. The EU and Australia, for example, chose culture. We did not.

[Marilyn Gladu, Liberal, Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we are currently going through an affordability crisis. Does my colleague understand that hiking contributions to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will increase costs for Quebeckers? Is this the right time to do something like that? Is it justified?

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the question. Her French is as excellent as always.

When it comes to our identity, who we are, our values, culture is priceless. That is exactly what I just said. Economic decisions are made at the expense of culture, while both should go hand in hand. This is about our very essence.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Côte-Nord—Kawawachikamach—Nitassinan, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak today on behalf of the Bloc Québécois on the issue of web giants, culture more broadly, Quebec identity and, of course, the funding that the Liberal government should provide, but not at the taxpayers' expense.

First of all, I would also like to congratulate my colleague Meggie Richard, an MNA from my region, on the Côte-Nord, who has just been appointed minister responsible for regions and land use and minister responsible for the Côte-Nord region. As my colleague, the member for Laurentides—Labelle, said, we are very proud to see in our National Assembly, which is my own parliament, MNAs and ministers who care deeply about our culture, language and identity, and who will defend them tooth and nail, just as we in the Bloc Québécois do here in the House of Commons. Obviously, what happens here has an impact on what happens in Quebec.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate our minister of culture, communications, and the French language, Pascal Bérubé, who was appointed minister yesterday. Of course, I know that he will also be a staunch defender of Quebec's identity.

That brings to mind words often repeated by my leader, the member for Beloeil—Chambly, who has said on numerous occasions that a nation must not place all authority over its culture, its language and its identity in the hands of another nation. To do so is to put them at risk. The only nation that can protect and promote a culture, a language and an identity is the nation itself, the one that lives through that identity, that language and that culture. For us, of course, being able to debate the motion before us on this opposition day is essential. I could summarize that motion, but I will simply take a moment to read it into the record. It is very brief and, in essence, reiterates the points I made earlier:

That, given that,

(i) culture is central to Quebec's identity,

(ii) the cultural sector plays a critical role in Quebec's economy,

(iii) the media and cultural production sectors are facing serious pressures that hamper their development,

(iv) the government nevertheless abolished the Digital Services Tax levied on the U.S. digital corporate giants,

the House call on the government to:

(a) uphold the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's decisions imposing levies on streaming services, as set out in the Broadcasting Act; and

(b) make the interim payment of $600 million promised to the cultural sector for the current year.

The term “interim payment” mentioned in the motion is important.

My colleague brought up an issue that my colleague from Repentigny also raised in his questions, and that is the government's weakness when it comes to cultural measures. The government wanted—at least that is what it said—to ensure that levies were paid so that the money could be used to help our cultural enterprises and broadcasters. The government decided to simply cave to the U.S. government. At least, that is the pretext, if not the exact reason. It said that it might be a good idea to perhaps give in on this point to facilitate negotiations. That is a huge sum. As we have heard, these companies made $4 billion in profits last year. In this country, they pay nothing. At the same time, they will be competing, unfairly I would say, with our own cultural enterprises and creators.

The government agreed to levy a tax to help our broadcasters, enterprises and creators to create content here at home. As I said earlier, creating content here at home meets our need to show our identity and continue to increase its vitality.

As I was saying, there was some political will. The companies, however, refused to give in to that. The Conservative Party, meanwhile, decided to stand up for the Americans and the billion-dollar corporations. The government overturned the CRTC's decision to collect these amounts.

I talked about nations earlier. No one else can defend and promote our culture as well as we can ourselves. It sounds obvious, but we still have to debate it here. Even though it seems evident, we still have to fight these battles. Quebec's identity is already in the hands of Canada. After that, it is in the hands of the United States, to a certain extent, since we are caving in to pressure from the Americans as well as from businesses. We are a long way from having the tools we need to defend and promote our culture and to create content here at home that can be broadcast here, in accordance with our own needs and preferences. We are a long way from that. I would say that it goes even beyond governments, because we are bowing to pressure from foreign, multi-billion-dollar corporations, which care less about our culture and more about their profits. Our culture is not part of their mandate or their primary objective. We are a long way from cultural sovereignty.

I will echo what my colleague from Laurentides—Labelle said. She talked about the “Canada strong” thing that some people go on and on about here in the House. A nation with an identity fights for that identity and is prepared to defend it at every turn. It will never yield to blackmail by governments or corporations. That is out of the question. Identity is not for sale. In my opinion, this is proof. A lot of people talk about how the Prime Minister is standing up to the United States very vigorously. This may be a cliché, but I think the government is just talking the talk. It is not walking the walk, and we believe that jeopardizes Quebec's culture and its development. That is one point.

Next, it seems that, to put it simply, in an effort to defuse the situation, the government is admitting that it has yielded to pressure from the U.S. and the tech giants, and is asking the CRTC to back down, but it will provide $600 million. My colleague from Jonquière—Hébertville—Pays-des-Bleuets said earlier that it is less than what we would get in royalties. That $600 million is already not enough. That is not even what we would have had with the levies. What is more, these $600 million come from taxpayers' pockets. One of the arguments used by the government and the Conservative Party was that it would cost far too much, as a member opposite mentioned earlier. However, academics and researchers have debunked the argument that the services we get from the tech giants would be less affordable. Currently, measures are being implemented in Europe, and the costs have not actually changed. However, taking those $600 million from taxpayers’ pockets is really just taking their money instead of taking the tech companies' money. That is basically what it is. The government is paying for these companies and covering them instead of doing its job as a sovereign state when it comes to culture. That is really what it is doing.

That is why the Bloc Québécois is not simply asking for $600 million. I mentioned at the outset that the word “interim” is important. At the end of the day, we want the tech giants to pony up that money. We do not want the government or ordinary citizens to foot the bill. We want the tech giants to do so. We also want—and I emphasize this because it is absolutely fundamental to us—to retain control over our culture, content discoverability, our creative output and our language. We need that funding to support our culture.

I hope that my colleagues will vote for what sounds to me like common sense.