Debates of May 28th, 2026

Oil and Gas Industry

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

Unfortunately, the noise level was such that I was not able to hear the minister, so maybe the minister could just start over.

[Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill, ON]

Mr. Speaker, to share with the members opposite, yesterday I was in British Columbia to announce that Canada has reached a historic agreement to sell low-carbon LNG to Germany. This LNG was sourced from Ksi Lisims LNG, which is co-owned by the Nisg̱a'a Nation. It is expected to generate nearly $30 billion of private sector investment. It will export Canada's first LNG to Europe, supporting global energy security and economic growth for jurisdictions. It is a win-win-win-win: a win for Canada, a win for B.C.—

[The Speaker, Francis Scarpaleggia]

The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.

Labour

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Mr. Speaker, the minister of labour has repeatedly claimed that she forced flight attendants back to work to prevent a health crisis in which essential supplies would be disrupted. She claims she was briefed of this risk, but her department has no record of this briefing, and the senior officials responsible for briefing her were not aware of it.

Confession is good for the soul, and we in the opposition are in a forgiving mood today, so why does the minister not use this golden opportunity to unburden herself of this guilt and admit that she did not tell the truth?

[Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario]

Mr. Speaker, it seems that the member opposite does not have compassion for the Canadians around the country who count on essential medical products and, yes indeed, medical organs that are delivered every single day around this country, not just from within our own borders but across international borders as well.

During a labour dispute, the minister of labour has the responsibility of working with the parties and, when an impasse has been arrived at, fostering industrial peace. Sometimes we use tools to refer these disputes to the CIRB. Of course, the member, having never been a minister, would not understand or feel the pressure to make sure that Canadians have what they need in these sensitive times.

Climate Change

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Speaker, the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie's decision to leave the Liberal caucus was a principled response to the Liberal government's failure to protect us from catastrophic climate change. We see wildfire seasons, floods and whole towns and communities burning to the ground while people wait for another summer when they are going to be choking on toxic smoke.

Will the government reverse its backsliding on environmental protections or will it continue to sit by and watch the world burn to the ground?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Minister of the Environment]

First of all, Mr. Speaker, I would like to reiterate that today we announced further supports in protecting communities from forest fires. I encourage people to look for the resources and the information that is available to them.

When it comes to fighting climate change, I want to assure the member opposite that this government and this entire caucus is committed to continuing that fight. We see it with our regulations on enhanced methane, where we are world leaders. We see it with our nature strategy, our electricity strategy and our auto strategy. We are continuing to do the work, and we will get it done.

Air Transportation

[Heather McPherson, NDP, Edmonton Strathcona, AB]

Mr. Speaker, today, despite serious concerns raised by local communities, workers and public health experts about the future of Toronto's waterfront, Ontario's Conservative government forced through legislation to control and expand the Billy Bishop airport.

Canada's airports are critical public infrastructure built through public investment. There, and in airports across the country, the federal government has a responsibility to put public interest ahead of corporate profits. It should be stopping Doug Ford's scheme.

Why is it instead pushing its own sell-off plans for airports across this country?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, we will, of course, consider the views of all of the people in the GTA, indeed all Canadians, as we contemplate changes, if required, in the waterfront or at Billy Bishop airport. We will continue to listen to all of the heartfelt views of people who live along the harbour front, live in the GTA proper and deserve the best possible air service that can be provided to them.

Business of the House

[Andrew Scheer, Conservative, Regina—Qu'Appelle, SK]

Mr. Speaker, you join millions of Canadians who are anxious to hear the Thursday question. In fact, data centres all over the country are whirring into action as streaming devices carrying CPAC spring to life.

It being Thursday, it is time for the government to update the House as to the business for the rest of this week and next week. In light of the fact that Justin Trudeau's radical environment minister has announced his resignation, and the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie is leaving, apparently, over a rift in policy, it would be helpful for the member to know if he is doing the right thing.

Will the Liberals repeal all the radical antidevelopment legislation that the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie was so proud of? Will they repeal the “no more pipelines” bill, Bill C-69? Will they bring in legislation next week to repeal the shipping ban for Canadian exports off the west coast? Will they repeal the industrial carbon tax that drives away so many jobs and so much investment?

In other words, will the government prove that it has actually changed its ways, or in fact, is it continuing with Justin Trudeau's radical antidevelopment, "no new energy" agenda? That would be in line with the Prime Minister's book he wrote about himself called Values, in which he called for Canada's natural resources to be left in the ground.

In short, will the government bring in legislation to repeal those very bills and those very laws that drove out investment and shut down our energy sector for the past 11 years of darkness with Liberal governments?

[Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West, ON]

Mr. Speaker, it is very surprising to hear that the Conservative Party still uses Justin Trudeau as its only plan to try to get into the hearts of Canadians. Unfortunately, in April 2025, Canadians elected a new government to do the business of the people of Canada.

On that note, I want to take the opportunity to wish my friend and colleague the member for Laurier—Sainte-Marie a great time as he takes the next step in his life. I thank him for the amazing work he has done for this country on environment and climate change. I also thank him for his contribution to this caucus and to this Parliament as a minister, as a member of Parliament and as a great friend and colleague to all of us.

This evening we will have debate in committee of the whole on the main estimates for the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.

Tomorrow and Monday, we will continue second reading debate on Bill C-31, a second act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on November 4, 2025.

I also wish to inform the House that Tuesday will be an allotted day. Finally, on Wednesday and Thursday, we will move on to the third reading report stage of Bill C-16, the protecting victims act.

The House resumed consideration of the motion.

Opposition Motion—Elimination of the Streaming Tax

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to share my time with the MP for Scarborough Southwest.

I am very pleased to rise today to speak to the Online Streaming Act, the modernization of Canada's broadcasting system and the importance of ensuring that the stories told by Canadian creators remain a centrepiece of the modern broadcasting landscape.

At the core of this problem is a simple reality that we are all familiar with: The way Canadians consume content has changed at lightning speed. The Broadcasting Act was designed for a world of television, radio and cable channels and prime-time audiences. This world has not disappeared entirely, as shown by the millions of Canadians who gathered to watch the Montreal Canadiens during the playoffs. However, it is a thing of the past for most of the Canadians consuming content nowadays.

Children no longer run off to get a snack during the commercial breaks, as we did when we were kids. They bring their phones with them and watch whatever they want, whenever they want, provided their parents let them. This change has had some huge benefits. Canadians can access content from around the world more easily than ever before. We can watch Korean dramas, Mexican heist dramas, British bake-offs and singing competitions from around the world. American movies, TV shows and music are also widely available in Canada, and Canadians continue to consume this content extensively every day. There is no denying this reality. This is not necessarily a problem in and of itself. Canadians value choice, and the Online Streaming Act does not take that choice away from them.

The act ensures that, in this new content-rich environment, Canadian stories are also supported and showcased. It incorporates the key online streaming services that operate and generate revenue in Canada into a modernized accountability framework. Just as traditional broadcasters have long been expected to contribute to Canadian culture, so too must today's broadcasters.

Through the Online Streaming Act, the House modernized the Broadcasting Act to ensure that foreign streaming companies support our creators, our stories and Canadian music for generations to come. The act establishes a fair and simple regulatory framework under which comparable broadcasting services are subject to similar regulatory requirements.

The government has made it clear that the Online Streaming Act and the CRTC's implementation of regulatory measures are consistent with Canada's trade obligations, including those under CUSMA. The Online Streaming Act was drafted with Canada's international obligations and commitments in mind.

I want to emphasize that the act is not intended to discriminate against non‑Canadian services. It applies to all undertakings that provide online broadcasting services to Canadians. It is not a matter of nationality, but rather of participating in the Canadian broadcasting system and profiting from it here at home. Far from being discriminatory, the act does exactly the opposite. It requires each company to contribute appropriately to the creation and presentation of Canadian programming, in proportion to its presence and importance in the system. It is a matter of fairness.

If a business generates income in Canada, it is expected to contribute fairly and equitably. That is why it is misleading to claim that the act targets U.S. companies. In reality, it aims to create a fair, flexible framework for online streaming services operating in Canada that complies with Canada's international commitments.

Although it requires the CRTC to ensure that online streaming services contribute significantly to the broadcasting system, it does not put U.S. content streamers or creators at a disadvantage. In fact, Canadian streamers are still expected to spend a higher percentage of their revenues on Canadian content than foreign streamers.

In the not-to-distant past, online streamers were not required to support Canadian music or stories while contributing to other major broadcasting objectives.

Under the CRTC's Canadian programming expenditure framework, Canadian broadcasting ownership groups are subject to a 25% Canadian programming expenditure requirement, while unaffiliated and non-Canadian online broadcasting ownership groups are subject to a 15% requirement, which includes the 5% base contribution. The framework applies to groups operating in Canada with annual Canadian broadcasting revenues of $25 million or more. This means that small businesses, such as local stations that are often the only sources of information in regional areas, newly launched television services, or specialized streaming television services targeting small audiences, will not be subject to this requirement.

It is also important to remember that Canadian broadcasters have long been subject to significant spending and programming obligations and that their obligations to contribute to the system remain in place. Those that generate the most revenue, the major players that are increasingly capturing the public's attention, will be expected to contribute more and will serve as major windows into Canadian and Quebec culture. Only the major players who can afford to do so are expected to make proportional contributions.

The new regulations do not penalize streaming services for operating in Canada. Why would they? The reality is that foreign broadcasters have enriched the broadcasting landscape and provided opportunities for Canadian talent. It is a question of fairness. If a company benefits from its operations in the Canadian market, if it reaches Canadian audiences and if it earns significant revenue from Canadian subscribers and viewers, it is entirely reasonable that it should contribute to the sustainability of the system in which it operates. This is not a radical idea.

For decades, Canada maintained an outdated broadcasting policy; it recognizes that culture is not simply a commodity like any other. Broadcasting helps shape the way people understand their country, their communities and one another. It ensures that Canadians can see and hear themselves reflected in the programming available to them. Now more than ever, we need to hear stories that come from here. We need to see ourselves on screen.

Our government will never stop supporting Canadian artists and culture. It is high time to pass Bill C-11 and bring it into force as soon as possible.

I want to talk about Quebec. It is getting harder and harder for French-language content to break into American channels. We do business with the giants of this world, but the giants of this world are centred on the English language. Bill C‑11 will ensure that we get a fair shake when it comes to our content and promoting the French language in Canadian content. For Quebeckers who want to showcase and promote francophone culture, I can attest that this bill is up to date and good for the Quebec community, the Canadian community and the community that wants to promote Canadian content and see it reflected in our young people, in our future and in young audiences currently consuming the major networks' products.

Bill C-11 is here to stay and here to make us work for our future.

I look forward to answering questions.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for my colleague.

How much money have the Liberals managed to raise so far with the 5% that was already in place? How much money do they estimate they will raise with the 15%? Who will end up paying the 15%, at the end of the day?

Obviously, it is not the government. The government is going to pocket the money and may well redistribute it. That is what the Liberals are saying.

Who is actually going to pay this 15% tax?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my colleague is asking an excellent question. I was just talking about Quebec content, but it is Canadian content that ensures that the money is reinvested in content.

In my region, our artists are telling us that they want more investment in Canadian and Quebec content. That is exactly what the percentages levied on content are for. They ensure that we can reinvest them here at home to produce more Canadian content. This aligns perfectly with the bill.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his remarks. He said a number of things that the Bloc Québécois agrees with. I often say that we protect what we love. We love our culture. We love our free, independent press. We want to protect it and give it the means to continue entertaining and informing Quebeckers.

I have a question for my colleague. If he loves Quebec culture and the free press, as we do, why did his government cancel the digital services tax a year ago, a tax that would have been used to take money out of the pockets of web giants and give it back to our culture and media?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I think that my colleague and I share a Quebec culture and a Canadian culture, which the government greatly supports. Bill C‑11 does just that. That money will be reinvested in Quebec content. We will promote our artists. We will stand up for our creators.

For the next generation, we will invest that money in Canadian and Quebec content. I am proud that we can reinvest what comes from digital content in our local and Quebec artists.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague's thoughts on how it is that the Conservative Party appears to want to surrender our sovereignty on this particular issue. The Conservatives are, in essence, saying that because of negotiations that are taking place, we should just capitulate and have nothing to do with protecting our arts, our performing artists and our culture.

I am wondering if the member would provide his thoughts on how important our arts programs are for provinces such as Quebec, and across Canada, and how important it is to support them in the different ways we do.

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his question.

Obviously, it is easy for the Conservatives to target the bill and try to vote against something that helps our Quebec and Canadian artists. However, we must remember that it is also the Conservatives who want to abolish CBC/Radio-Canada and cancel the investments we are making in our Quebec and Canadian advertising.

This bill enables us to bring content home and do more for Canadians and Quebeckers.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, QC]

Mr. Speaker, let us talk about advertising. The Canadian government is currently running 80% of its ads on platforms owned by the tech giants. It gives them money every day, millions and millions of dollars in advertising, instead of advertising in our local and regional organizations and media.

I will ask my colleague again. How much money did the government collect with the 5% it implemented through Bill C‑11? By the way, that legislation has been in place for a number of years, and it is not even in effect yet. Now they are increasing it to 15%. At the end of the day, who is going to pay the 15%?

[Stéphane Lauzon, Liberal, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to reply to my colleague in French.

It is clear, and I said it in response to his first question: The money invested that we collect from radio and television broadcasting will be reinvested in Quebec, reinvested in Canada and reinvested in Canadian content. That is exactly why the law is in place. It is to keep our culture at home.

I know that my colleague is not happy about that, because he would like to do away with everything that involves the arts, artists or communications, but if there is one thing I would like to say, it is that we are proud of our bill.

[Doly Begum, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the good people of Scarborough Southwest to deliver my inaugural speech in the House as their member of Parliament, and I do so with immense gratitude and humility.

I want to begin by recognizing my constituents and everyone who helped our campaign in hopes of a better future. For nearly eight years, I have had the honour of serving our community as their member of provincial parliament. I sat with residents in my office, at community events and at town halls, listened to them at their doors and heard their stories of sacrifice, resilience, hope and hard work. I carry those stories with me into the House. I carry the trust of a community that has given me and this government one of the strongest mandates in history. Families, workers, seniors, newcomers, young people and small business owners in Scarborough Southwest all rallied together around the promise of a better future. They are the ones who sent me here, and my work here will be guided by that promise and that responsibility every single day.

I also stand here today with a profound sense of history, as the first Bangladeshi Canadian elected to public office in Canada, and now the first of Bangladeshi origin to take a seat in this chamber. This moment is not mine alone. This moment belongs to every immigrant parent who travelled thousands of miles across oceans with fear of the unknown, but hope in their hearts. It belongs to every individual who worked long hours and made countless sacrifices, believing that their future generations could thrive. It belongs to every young person who has ever wondered whether their name, their story, their faith or their background could fit in spaces like this. I stand here today because of the very promise Canada made to families like mine: the chance to build a better future. I want to make sure every child in our country knows that they belong in the future we are building right here. Our job here is to protect that promise at all costs and renew it for the next generation.

Scarborough Southwest is not just the riding I represent. It is the community that raised me, shaped my values and showed me what that promise means. Our community has been built by people from all walks of life who have been united by the belief that Canada offers a fair shot at a better life.

However, right now, for too many, that promise seems out of reach. Many are working multiple jobs and are forced to stretch every single dollar just to get by. Affordability is not abstract in Scarborough Southwest. It is the painful choice of paying rent over buying groceries. It is kids saving on TTC fare by walking. It is prescriptions being left unfilled. It is the stressful calculation of cost after every paycheque to see if anything is left at the end of the month.

This is why, over the past year, our new Liberal government has recognized that Canadians need immediate relief from these challenges and a long-term plan to build a stronger, more resilient economy. This is why our record on affordability matters. Recent measures like the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, which will help millions of Canadians, the temporary pause on the federal fuel excise tax, and the strengthening of consumer protections are just some of the steps our government has taken to keep money in the pockets of hard-working Canadians.

Affordability is also about lowering costs over time, creating good-paying jobs, fighting tariffs while strengthening and diversifying our economy, and giving families more security for the future. Our investments in infrastructure, more homes at lower costs, skilled trades, innovation and the critical sectors will shape our economy for decades. These measures address people's everyday challenges while renewing Canada's promise to future generations.

As we speak about Canada's future, we must also speak honestly about the world around us. In what is perhaps the most consequential speech of our time, the Prime Minister accurately stressed that Canada must be “both principled and pragmatic”: principled in our commitment to international law and human rights, and pragmatic in recognizing the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.

The part that stuck with me was when the Prime Minister said that Canada has “something else...a recognition of what's happening and a determination to act accordingly.” That means our conscience must also include protecting innocent, vulnerable people around the world. No child should grow up under constant fear or bombardment. No family should have to search through rubble for their loved ones. No single person should ever be denied food, medicine, safety, shelter or the basic dignity of human life.

The horrific suffering of Gaza, and more recently the abhorrent treatment of the flotilla humanitarians, including Canadian humanitarian volunteers, and the illegal expansion of settlements in the West Bank, has shaken the conscience of so many Canadians. Canada's strength is not just about the size of our economy, our resources or our alliances; our strength also comes from our values and our belief that justice cannot be selective in whose pain it recognizes.

If we speak about “value-based realism”, then we must uphold our moral values while facing the world as it is. If we speak about human rights, then those rights must apply to everyone. If we speak about peace, then that peace must be rooted in justice and accountability.

We have a choice: either to accept a world where the powerful do whatever they want and the weak pay the price, or to help build a better, more just world.

I return to the promise Canada offers and our responsibility as members of this House to protect and renew that promise. That promise is renewed when we make sure that families can afford a life and that workers know their hard work pays off. It is renewed when seniors feel relieved thinking about their future and when we encourage young people to dream big for their future. It is renewed when a child of immigrants can stand in this House, knowing that she belongs here. Even more importantly, that promise is renewed when Canada looks at a broken world and does not choose indifference, but chooses to act with principles and courage.

[Jacob Mantle, Conservative, York—Durham, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my hon. colleague to the House.

She will no doubt be aware that recently the Muslim Association of Canada held a networking session, a conference, for Canadians in Toronto. In a word cloud that was presented at that conference was the phrase “Jew free”. I wonder if my hon. colleague would take this opportunity in her maiden speech during the questions and comments to get up here and show us her courage to condemn that type of thinking in Canada.

[Doly Begum, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague from the other side for that question, because it allows me to say this publicly here. I have said in the Ontario legislature that people of all faiths, especially after the history that Jewish people have suffered, have to have the freedom to be who they are. Anyone who says anything like that should be condemned, so I condemn that and I stand with people of all religions and all backgrounds for their right to be who they are.

[Alexis Deschênes, Bloc, Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine—Listuguj, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome my colleague and congratulate her on her first speech in the House.

I would like to hear her comments on the Liberal government's backtracking on the digital services tax. What are her thoughts on this?