House of Commons Hansard #124 of the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was chair.
Corrections and Conditional Release Act First reading of Bill S-205. 200 words.
Opposition Motion—Elimination of the Streaming Tax 47300 words, 6 hours in 2 segments: 1 2.
Canada Revenue Agency Act Second reading of Bill S-217. 7600 words, 1 hour.
Department of Citizenship and Immigration—Main Estimates, 2026-27 32400 words, 4 hours.
A message from Her Excellency the Governor General transmitting supplementary estimates (A) for the financial year ending March 31, 2027, was presented by the Minister of Health and read by the Speaker to the House.Supplementary Estimates (A), 2026-27Routine Proceedings
Papineau Québec
Liberal
Marjorie Michel LiberalMinister of Health
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the supplementary estimates (A), 2026‑27.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 36(8)(a) I have the honour to table, in both official languages, the government's response to eight petitions. These returns will be tabled in an electronic format.
Dominique Vien Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the following two reports of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women: the fourth report, entitled “Preventing Violence Against Women: Criminal Code Peace Bonds, Bail and Sentencing Reforms in Canada”, and the fifth report, entitled “Main Estimates 2026‑27: Votes 1 and 5 under Department for Women and Gender Equality”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to the fourth report.
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East, ON
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the third report of the Standing Committee on Science and Research, entitled “Antimicrobial Resistance”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Yvan Baker Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, the members of our committee worked very hard, and now I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, entitled “Proposals from the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages Regarding the Draft Proposed Regulations Under Part VII of the Official Languages Act”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to the report.
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Speaker, I request unanimous consent to table a dissenting opinion.
Official LanguagesCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is issuing a dissenting opinion to ensure that the draft proposed regulations require the government to comply with its own new language law, which stipulates that measures to promote French in Quebec must be implemented as part of official language support programs.
Since 2020, several ministers have acknowledged that French is in decline in Quebec and that measures must be taken not only to protect English but also to protect French in Quebec. The Official Languages Act was reformed in 2023, but no new measures for French have been implemented. There is a section that specifies that the purpose of the act is to “advance the existence of a majority-French society in a Quebec where the future of French is assured”. Several other sections prescribe asymmetrical measures for French in Quebec.
It is therefore high time that the government stopped focusing solely on the anglicization of Quebec through its language law, at a time when French is under greater threat than ever. That is why the draft proposed regulations must make it very clear that positive measures to promote French in Quebec must be taken as soon as possible
Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Liberal
Shannon Miedema Liberal Halifax, NS
Mr. Speaker, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the fifth report of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development, entitled “Sustaining Canada’s Freshwater for Today and Tomorrow”.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests that the government table a comprehensive response to this report.
Environment and Sustainable DevelopmentCommittees of the HouseRoutine Proceedings
Conservative
Branden Leslie Conservative Portage—Lisgar, MB
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to table the Conservative dissenting report on the study of fresh water. Let me be clear: The problem with this report is not that it takes water too seriously but that it confuses ambition with action. It recommends more federal strategies, more federal frameworks, more federal tables and even legal personhood for the St. Lawrence River. That is a dangerous legal theory that will end in disaster.
Conservatives believe that freshwater policy should be grounded in results, not more government bureaucracy. Conferences do not fix pipes, global declarations do not end boil water advisories, and no farmer ever irrigated a field, drained a ditch or protected an acre with a stack of federal forms. Canada does not need a bigger bureaucracy. We need water systems that work, rules that are enforced, and respect for the provinces, municipalities, indigenous communities and farmers who actually know their watersheds. Conservatives support clean water, clear responsibility and real results.
Marjorie Michel LiberalMinister of Health
moved that Bill S-5, An Act respecting the interoperability of health information technology and to prohibit data blocking by health information technology vendors, be read the first time.
(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
moved for leave to introduce Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Corrections and Conditional Release Act.
Mr. Speaker, I am honoured to rise today to introduce Bill S-205, an act to amend the Corrections and Correctional Release Act, also known as Tona's law. The purpose of Tona's law is to ensure oversight of and remedies and alternatives to isolation in federal prisons, also known as solitary confinement or segregation, which is something that has been called out in international law as a form of torture, in fact. It is something that is still practised in federal prisons today and is something that we know causes irreversible harm to people.
The purpose of prisons is to rehabilitate people, but we know, with recidivism rates, that people in prison come back into communities not rehabilitated but more likely to offend. It is not surprising that more than 80% of former inmates actually return to prison.
I would like to thank Senator Pate and advocates for carceral reform across the country, and I want to honour the memory of the late Tona Mills, a survivor of more than 10 years in solitary confinement, for whom the bill is named. May she rest in peace.
(Motion agreed to and bill read the first time)
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the people of Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola. Today I am presenting two petitions. The first is on behalf of the Iranian community in Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola.
I had the opportunity to meet with Vahab Nazeri and many other people from the Iranian community. They point out the oppressive Iranian regime and all that it has done, a terroristic regime that has killed so many people and inflicted so much damage. They are very proud people, but they recognize that since the ayatollahs took over, there has been no democracy.
Petitioners call on the government to recognize the democratic will of the Iranian people and to engage with Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi as the legitimate transitional authority.
Frank Caputo Conservative Kamloops—Thompson—Nicola, BC
Madam Speaker, the second petition, which 51 signatories have signed, notes that Canadians travel worldwide for all sorts of reasons, that viruses such as measles are significantly increasing, that when people return home they are often subject to diseases we do not experience here, and that people do not know about travel health advice being available.
Petitioners therefore call upon the House of Commons to integrate travel vaccine, medicine and health education into the public health system in Canada, to establish a reasonable user fee, to ensure appropriate health data collection and to recognize that public trust can be built in travel medicine and screening.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Madam Speaker, I rise to table two petitions today. The first is in support of the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
The petition has been signed by more than 2,600 people calling on the Government of Canada to honour the TRC calls to action and the national inquiry for women and girls.
Petitioners are calling for the government to respect residential school survivors, their families and their communities. They call on the government to keep its promises to avoid gaps in survivor-centred services. They call for sustained and stable core funding for the Indian Residential School Survivors Society to prevent program lapses, including funding for indigenous-led healing, wellness and crisis support programs related to residential school impacts. They also call on the government to work with the society, the indigenous community and partners for a stable, long-term framework that reflects the actual service needs.
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Madam Speaker, the second petition I am tabling is signed by Canadians from communities including Vancouver, Surrey, Toronto, Ottawa and Gatineau.
Petitioners are concerned that Trump's military is bombarding small boats and their crews in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Ocean, claiming without evidence that they are narco-terrorists. Such actions are illegal, they have noted, yet Canadian-made equipment has been used to commit these extrajudicial killings, due to the massive loophole in Canada's arms export laws.
Whereas Canada respects the rule of law, the petitioners therefore call on the Canadian government to require the same rules of licensing of Canadian military exports to Trump's military that are applied to every other country.
Jeff Kibble Conservative Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Madam Speaker, I rise to present petition e-7115, a petition on behalf of Canadians and, more importantly, the great people of Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, who are concerned about the security and reliability of the digital systems that Canada depends on every day, specifically government digital systems. As we move more online, the software behind those systems must be built with strong safeguards from the beginning.
Petitioners are asking the Government of Canada to take a more consistent approach to secure coding across all federal departments and Crown corporations so public services, sensitive information and taxpayer dollars are better protected. They have provided a detailed list of provisions to facilitate much-needed solutions.
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, I would ask that all questions be allowed to stand, please.
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
Questions on the Order PaperRoutine Proceedings
The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Alexandra Mendès) Alexandra Mendes
[For text of questions and responses, see Written Questions website]
Opposition Motion—Elimination of the Streaming TaxBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
moved:
That, given that,
(i) the Liberal-appointed CRTC recently ordered online streaming services to pay 15% of their annual Canadian revenues to the government, up from the current 5%,
(ii) this tax increase will be passed on to consumers who are already struggling with the rising cost of living,
(iii) the tax will discourage business activity and investment in Canada,
(iv) the tax is a trade irritant with the United States ahead of the upcoming CUSMA review,
the House call on the Liberal Cabinet to use their powers under the Broadcasting Act to reject the CRTC’s streaming tax increase and eliminate the streaming tax.
Madam Speaker, I wish to split my time with the member for Elgin—St. Thomas—London South.
After 11 years of the Liberal government, Canadians are paying more for just about everything. They are paying more for groceries, gas, housing, electricity and, now, simply watching their favourite show or listening to their favourite music. Just last week, the Liberal-appointed CRTC announced plans to triple the streaming tax, taking it from 5% to 15% on online streaming services such as Netflix, Spotify and Disney+.
This question must be asked: Who will pay for this? The answer is that it will not be government, the CRTC bureaucrats or the Liberal ministers sitting across the way. Instead, it will be everyday, hard-working Canadians who will foot the bill. Every dollar of this tax will ultimately be passed on to consumers, who are already struggling under the weight of rising costs under current government policy.
In fact, Canadians are already seeing the impact. Just a few days ago, Spotify notified subscribers that they would see an increase in their rates coming into effect in July. A few extra dollars here and there may not be that much to those across the way, but for Canadians who are working hard, skimping and saving, and trying to make ends meet, those dollars matter.
Canadians should not be forced into a false choice between affordability and a few small pleasures in life. Families should be able to afford the essentials, such as food, clothing and shelter, while still being able to enjoy a few of those tiny comforts. After a decade of Liberal policies, affordability in Canada has only gotten worse, and this streaming tax is simply the latest Liberal attack on affordability.
What makes this even harder for Canadians to accept is the growing disconnect between what ordinary Canadians are experiencing and what they see from those in positions of power. Recently released invoices show that the Prime Minister spent nearly $200,000 just on inflight food in one year. On one trip alone to Rome, taxpayers were billed almost $94,000 for meals in the air. What did these meals include? They included things like beef tenderloin, salmon, crème brûlée and fine wines.
For many Canadian families, the majority actually, $94,000 would cover groceries for years, not just a few small meals. It is ludicrous. It is completely out of touch with Canadians. While families are deciding whether or not they can afford a few extra dollars on their Spotify account, the Prime Minister is spending $94,000, of taxpayer money I should add, on meals for one trip.
The Liberals tell Canadians that the solution is to simply consume less. The former finance minister suggested that Canadians cancel their Disney+ account, for example, so they could save those few extra dollars each month to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister spent $94,000 on inflight meals for one trip. The irony here is impossible to miss.
This decision is not only wrong with respect to affordability, but also wrong economically. It is wrong for investment and for Canada's future. That 15% tax puts Canada among the most expensive jurisdictions to do business with streaming companies. That sends a dangerous message to investors that Canada is becoming more costly, less predictable and not worth investing in because it is not competitive. Investment matters because we need to draw it into our country rather than chase it away.
Here is what happens when investment thrives. The member across the way is shaking his head, but it creates jobs, raises wages, drives innovation and creates opportunities for everyday, hard-working Canadians. That is what happens when we are able to draw investment into our country, but the government seems committed to the opposite, which means that projects, capital, jobs and opportunities go elsewhere while the Canadian people ultimately suffer.
We are already seeing what investment can do when the government gets out of the way. Earlier this year, Netflix opened a major animation studio in Vancouver. That is under question now, due to this increase in tax. Nevertheless, Netflix created this. It has spurred thousands of jobs, and it is bringing significant economic investment into Canada to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. That is exactly the kind of growth that we should be encouraging.
Instead, the Liberals are putting up more barriers and more costs that threaten future investment in Canada's film, television and digital production sectors, production hubs like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and, increasingly, Atlantic Canada. Members opposite might want to sit up and listen to that. They rely on a healthy mix of Canadian talent and international investment, working together to create jobs and world-class content here at home, but this tax begins to call that into question. When Canada becomes a higher-cost, more regulated environment, we risk slowing the momentum and limiting opportunities for Canadians. Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has strongly condemned the Online Streaming Act and the CRTC's most recent decision warning that Canada is moving toward rigid one-size-fits-all regulation that discourages investment.
Conservatives support Canadian artists. We support creators, musicians, filmmakers and storytellers. We want them to thrive, but we do not strengthen Canada's culture by making life more expensive for Canadians. In fact, the opposite is what happened. We do not support creators by discouraging investment. We do not build a stronger economy by punishing growth. In fact, a strong culture requires a strong economy. If we want the cultural sector to thrive, then we need to build a thriving economy, a thriving ecosystem for these folks. Prosperity will happen.
There is also a serious democratic problem here. For centuries, parliamentary democracy has been built on a simple principle and that is that taxes should only be imposed by elected representatives accountable to the people, not by unelected regulators such as the CRTC and not by bureaucrats operating at an arm's length from the minister. However, the Liberal-appointed CRTC has effectively imposed a massive new tax burden on Canadians without Parliament even voting on it. If the government believes that Canadians should pay higher streaming taxes, then the minister should come into this place, call for a vote and allow themselves to be held accountable. They should be transparent before the Canadian people. Instead, they are choosing to stand behind a regulator and let them do their dirty work.
On top of all of this, the Liberals could not have chosen a worse time internationally to provoke this fight. Canada is heading into an important CUSMA review with the United States. The streaming tax has already been identified by the American officials as a major trade irritant. The American ambassador to Canada has warned that tripling the streaming levy is “making a bad situation worse.” At precisely the moment when Canada should be reducing trade tensions and strengthening economic co-operation, the Liberals are escalating the dispute. This weakens Canada's position when it comes to negotiations. At a time when economic uncertainty persists, Canada should be focused on becoming more competitive, not less. We should be attracting investment, not driving it away. We should be expanding trade, not creating more disputes. We should be making life more affordable for Canadians, not more expensive.
This is the choice that is before the House today, and I would urge my colleagues to choose Canadians. After 11 years of Liberal inflation, Liberal gatekeepers and Liberal tax hikes, Canadians are exhausted. They are tired of paying more while getting less. They are tired of being told to lower their expectations while government spending continues to rise. They are tired of watching opportunity leave this country because the government refuses to get out of the way and allow people to thrive.
Canadians are calling on the government to make a decision with their, the people's, best interests in mind. They are calling on the government to make life more affordable for them. It starts by scrapping this tax.
Opposition Motion—Elimination of the Streaming TaxBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
Winnipeg North Manitoba
Liberal
Kevin Lamoureux LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Madam Speaker, the CRTC, at arm's length from government, made a decision. The decision is not quite as simple as the Conservatives try to portray it.
At the end of the day, we have tens of thousands of jobs throughout our nation that are very much directly connected with our culture and our heritage. It is a part of who we are, our Canadian identity, and how different of mediums can influence that.
I can appreciate that the Conservatives do not give a darn about that aspect, but I am wondering if the member could recognize that those jobs are valuable jobs that contribute to every region of our country and that protecting our Canadian heritage does mean something for a lot of Canadians?
Opposition Motion—Elimination of the Streaming TaxBusiness of SupplyGovernment Orders
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Madam Speaker, I will acknowledge that when we draw investment into this country through good policies that include less taxation and less regulation, it does in fact allow our cultural sector to thrive. That is a truth. The member opposite, however, is contending that the government should be more punitive, put more taxes in place and put more regulation in place. Somehow, the member feels that is what is going to spur growth within the cultural sector and somehow encourage Canadians to be rooted and established here in their production of content. That is false.
