Soraya Martinez Ferrada

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my opposition colleague for her question.

I would like to remind her that our government is the first in 30 years to have invested so much in culture in Canada, particularly in Quebec.

We doubled the budget of the Canada Council for the Arts. We reinvested in the CBC to protect our public broadcaster.

I would like to remind my colleague that people from the Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo, the ADISQ, and the Association québécoise de la production médiatique, the AQPM, are very pleased that we are giving the CRTC the obligation and power to regulate web giants so that we can reinvest in our culture and creators.

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, the bill we are studying today aims to give the CRTC the regulatory powers it needs to better invest in Canadian creators. That is what is in the bill before us today.

[Broadcasting Act, November 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Davenport.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honour to rise today to debate Bill C-10 and the measures it contains to support francophone creators and French-language content.

Our government is the first since 1991 to modernize the Broadcasting Act in response to technological change. I want to remind the House why this legislation is so important and crucial for our artists and creators.

TV and radio have been with us all of our lives. I remember TV shows such as Bobino et Bobinette and Passe-partout and films that have marked our history such as The Decline of the American Empire and Crazy. Each of us fondly remembers the programs that shaped our lives.

TV and radio are sources of entertainment, discovery, culture, and information. They move us, inspire us, fill us with wonder, and give us a window to the world. Television and radio help forge our identity, especially our francophone identity. They also help us to get to know and to understand one another in all of our diversity.

Historically, under the Canadian broadcasting system, traditional broadcasting services, such as radio, TV, and cable, were required to fund Canadian content, our stories, and our songs. However, online broadcasting services, such as Netflix, Crave, Spotify, and QUB Musique, are not subject to the same types of regulatory requirements as traditional services.

This situation has resulted in a regulatory imbalance and jeopardizes the future of Canadian content funding. Our bill seeks to ensure that traditional and online broadcasting services contribute to the creative sector. To achieve this, we need to change the definition of what constitutes a broadcasting undertaking to include online undertakings, which did not exist in 1991.

Amending this definition in the Broadcasting Act will require online undertakings to contribute financially to Canadian and Quebec cultural production. Of course, these contributions will need to support a wide range of Canadian creators and consumers, as well as francophones across the country.

We know that French Canadians and Quebeckers enjoy their TV productions and musical artists. French-language programming in the francophone market and francophone musical artists are very successful and enjoy good ratings.

For Quebec and all francophone minority communities, French-language TV and radio play a vital role in encouraging children to learn and use French and creating a sense of belonging among communities that are often isolated.

Television and radio play a very important role in forging our identity, and even more so in the case of francophones, who are a minority in North America. The arrival of online broadcasters has disrupted the Canadian broadcasting sector, and the French-language market was not spared.

Online broadcasters pose tremendous challenges to the availability and promotion of French-language content, especially content produced by our minority francophone communities and content produced in Quebec.

Statistics show that 47% of francophones watch mostly English content on Netflix, whereas French-language services capture 92% of the audience in the French-language market on traditional television. This shows that francophones look for content in their language.

We must also point out that the average budget for English-language film and video productions has been increasing for several years unlike the average budget for French-language productions, which has decreased and for which foreign funding remains relatively low.

With respect to music and digital platforms, in 2017, only six French Canadian artists were among the top 1,000 music artists with the most popular streams in Canada. Clearly, we must stop twiddling our thumbs. We must take action.

The creation of content in both official languages is a vital cultural objective, no matter the technological or other advances in the broadcasting sector.

That is why our bill gives the CRTC the tools it needs to ensure that the funding and regulations support Canadian content in both official languages and, more importantly, that they take into account the particular needs of francophones. The survival of French-language content and the protection of our cultural sovereignty depend on it.

For many years, the CRTC has been overseeing the implementation of a strict regulatory framework for traditional services to support and promote French-language content. Thanks to its efforts, in the past 10 years, the volume of French-language television production has been stable, accounting for 25% of the total volume of Canadian television production. The CRTC has also succeeded in promoting French-language music. French-language radio stations must devote at least 65% of their weekly popular music programming to French-language music.

We can be sure that the CRTC will establish a regulatory framework for online broadcasters that is just as strict. It will ensure that online broadcasters fairly and equitably support Canadian content in both official languages and that they take into account the particular needs of francophone creators across Canada, especially in Quebec.

I am pleased that the modernization of the Broadcasting Act will give the CRTC a regulatory framework for expenditures, to ensure that a portion of revenues is reinvested in Canadian productions.

In short, this bill acknowledges the importance of investing in the creation of diversified content that reflects all francophones and all Canadians from coast to coast to coast. It demonstrates our commitment to fostering the creation of stories and songs in both official languages in the digital era.

We are committed to strengthening the Official Languages Act, taking into account the particular reality of francophones in North America. I know that my colleague is preparing to present this shortly. The ultimate goal of this bill is to preserve an enduring broadcasting ecosystem that continues to support Canadian stories and songs. This legislative and regulatory framework will provide Canadian broadcasters, producers and creators with unqualified support.

Since the creation of the first Royal Commission on Radio Broadcasting in 1928, the Government of Canada has continually worked to develop policies in step with technological developments. I am proud that our government is continuing that tradition by modernizing the Broadcasting Act for the new digital era. I am convinced that every member in the House is keen to preserve our cultural sovereignty and encourage the all-important cultural sector.

[Housing in Hochelaga, November 16th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, last week, I had the opportunity to talk to representatives from Maison Oxygène, an organization in Hochelaga that provides support to fathers.

This year, Maison Oxygène celebrated its 30th anniversary. Every year, it provides shelter and support to more than 50 fathers and 90 children. It is the first shelter for struggling fathers on the Island of Montreal. It is part of the Carrefour familial Hochelaga, which also includes the Maison de la famille, the École hors murs and soon Les Glaneuses as well.

Today, we can count on 14 Maison Oxygène shelters across Quebec. It was to help organizations like this one that our government invested money in the first national housing strategy in Canada.

I am proud to be part of a government that advocates for access to housing, because everyone deserves to have a roof over their heads.

I am proud to represent all of Hochelaga's organizations, and I am proud that our government is there to help them.

[Sustainable Development, November 3rd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, Montreal East has an exceptional potential for development. In the coming years, we will have major opportunities to develop former industrial sites while preserving the environment.

In Hochelaga, hundreds of residents have come together to save the Boisé Steinberg, thereby demonstrating the importance they attach to natural, green spaces. I completely support the residents' initiative in planting trees. I applaud the support from other elected officials in preserving this wetland in the east.

I believe that it is essential for the future health of our cities to promote a vision for development that blends both the economy and the environment. That is why our government is making investments such as $950 million in the green municipal fund, $31 million for the Canada healthy communities initiative, and has allocated $2.2 billion to municipalities by accelerating this year's payments from the gas tax fund in order to support sustainable development projects. In Montreal East, we have an opportunity to provide a renewed boost to innovative, sustainable economic development.

[Bills of Exchange Act, November 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I abstained from the previous vote, but I will vote in favour of this motion.

[Hochelaga, October 27th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, last week was Small Business Week. To help SMEs, our government has provided financial assistance through things like the Canada emergency business account, the Canada emergency wage subsidy, the Canada united small business relief fund, which offers grants of up to $5,000 across the country, and recently, the Canada emergency rent subsidy.

In Hochelaga, SMEs are at the heart of our neighbourhoods. Much like in Montreal East, our businesses and organizations have always led the way in social innovation, especially when it comes to the social economy. In 2016, Quebec was home to more than 11,000 social economy enterprises, and examples of such businesses in Hochelaga include Boulot vers, Distributions l'Escalier and Bistro Le Ste-Cath.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the winners of the 2020 Gala ESTim awards who proudly represent Hochelaga: Cuisine collective Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Coop Couturières Pop and Dermadry.

In closing, I wish all the young people in Hochelaga a happy Halloween and I ask everyone to celebrate in a safe and responsible manner.

[Brayan Yambo and Dilan Yambo, October 20th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to draw attention to the impact of this pandemic on the most vulnerable in our society. Every day I see people in Hochelaga overcome challenges and be resilient, innovative and determined, especially twin brothers Brayan and Dilan Yambo.

The Yambo brothers braved the cold to use the Internet connection outside the municipal library, which is closed because of the second wave, so they could take their courses at Collège de Maisonneuve. They are an example of the resiliency and perseverance shown by students. I am proud to represent them.

That is why our government will ensure that it maintains the social and economic safety net of all Quebeckers and Canadians in these difficult times and invests in the infrastructure required to connect families and small businesses to high-speed Internet.

To everyone who lives in Hochelaga, I know that we are now in the second wave. Let us continue to follow public health guidance and, above all, do not hesitate to contact me because I am here to help.

[Latin American Heritage Month, October 2nd, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, October has been celebrated as Latin American Heritage Month in Canada since 2018.

More than 400,000 people of Latin American heritage contribute to the social, cultural, economic and political fabric of this country. On that note, I want to honour the dedication of certain MPs from various parties who have served in this House, including my compatriots Osvaldo Nunez, Paulina Ayala and of course, my colleague, the hon. Pablo Rodriguez.

I am Chilean, the daughter of a valiant, resilient people that takes pride in our ancestors. For over 20 years, our freedom was taken away. Children, women, men, members of my family, and artists and journalists were tortured, arrested, kidnapped or murdered, including Victor Jara, one of Chile's greatest poets and singers.

[Member spoke in Spanish]

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, September 24th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for this question, which is crucial to our creators and to the production and distribution of domestic content in French. This will happen through serious contributions by the tech giants to our national production.

I am committed to being an ally and to defending this issue, which, I think, is vitally important to our cultural identity.