QUESTION PERIOD — Canadian Heritage
Canadian Content
June 4, 2026
Senator Moreau, my question follows up on that of Senator Dasko, whom I congratulate and thank for her invaluable and remarkable work in the Senate.
As she pointed out, your government has asked the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, or CRTC, to review its decision requiring major online streaming services to spend 15% of their revenue on Canadian content. The Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions has condemned what it considers to be a major setback for our cultural sovereignty. The coalition points out that this CRTC decision is the culmination of many years of public consultation and regulatory work stemming directly from the Online Streaming Act, which Parliament passed to ensure that digital giants make a fair contribution to our cultural ecosystem.
Senator Moreau, how can the government claim to defend Canadian cultural sovereignty while at the same time wanting to weaken one of the most important measures adopted to ensure that very thing?
Thank you for the question, Senator Cormier. I want to reiterate that the government will always defend Canadian culture, our distinct identity and the vitality of our cultural sector, especially the unique character of Canada’s francophonie.
The challenge was to strike a balance between fair competition, a strong and diverse cultural sector and affordability for consumers. That is why the government asked the CRTC to reconsider its decision.
At the same time, the Canadian cultural sector urgently needs support and stability, and that is why the government chose to invest $600 million to support Canadian stories, local news, francophone content and Indigenous stories. We are striving to strike a balance here. The government has choices to make, and it believes that the choices that were made are consistent with the defence of cultural sovereignty.
Thank you, Senator Moreau.
I recently asked Minister LeBlanc about the importance of maintaining Canada’s cultural exception during the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement review, precisely because culture cannot be handled in the same way as a mere commercial product. Culture is central to our identity, our cultural sovereignty and the vitality of our francophone and Acadian communities.
If the government recognizes that culture deserves special protection in our international trade agreements, how can it reconcile its defence of the cultural exemption on the international stage with its decision to weaken, right here in Canada, a mechanism designed to protect and support our cultural sovereignty?
I think Minister LeBlanc made it quite clear that defending our cultural sovereignty while ensuring that our broadcasting system stays strong, stable and affordable here at home are two perfectly compatible objectives.
The government is also strengthening institutions that promote the French language and francophone culture, such as Radio-Canada, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund and the Canada Council for the Arts. The government is committed to defending our cultural sovereignty, and will do so in the context of CUSMA as well.
