44th Parl. 1st Sess.
June 13, 2022 11:00AM
Madam Speaker, I think there is a simple answer to my hon. member's question. While those on the other side pedal disinformation and conspiracy theories, they make a lot of money fundraising off of it. They are not advancing the project of the country. They are not advancing making sure we have a bill that is going to meet the expectations of Canadians.
There is a genuine problem with where the Conservatives are heading. They go down these rabbit holes of disinformation, misinformation and conspiracy theories and lose sight of what Canadians have asked us to do, which is to modernize the CRTC; make sure the broadcasting platforms are paying into the Canada Media Fund; and make sure that, as we stand next to the juggernaut of culture that is the United States, we can have our own Canadian voice on the international stage. When that voice is heard, co-productions with Ireland and other countries in the world will get our Canadian voice out there.
That is what this bill is about. The Conservatives can stay in their rabbit holes. We are here to advance for Canadians.
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Madam Speaker, this afternoon the minister is trying to defend the indefensible from coast to coast. Bill C-11 is a disaster, as was Bill C-10, and it is being shut down once again. We had 20 written submissions handed to us last Wednesday at committee from people who wanted to come to committee. The member talks about LGBTQ and indigenous issues. We have not heard from APTN, which was one of the guests the NDP wanted to bring to the committee. It has yet to come to talk to us.
This is a disaster waiting to happen. Why do the Liberals want to shut the bill down in the House of Commons, do nothing over the summer and hand it over to the Senate? We have time to bring other issues forward. Proposed subsection 4.1(2) has always been an issue. It was an issue a year ago when we debated Bill C-10 in the House, which they rammed through and then called the unnecessary election. This is the same situation we are seeing today with Bill C-11.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Saskatoon—Grasswood. I sat on the heritage committee with him. My question for him is this: What does he have against Corner Gas and the fantastic content coming out of not just Saskatchewan, but from across the Prairies and this country? We want more of that.
I do not know what is happening on that side. Maybe there is a leadership issue, or the party is in disarray until it has a new leader, but the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle, who ran for the highest office in the land, went on Twitter and compared the independent CRTC to the Orwellian ministry of truth. The member for Thornhill said this bill would put Canada in “good company with dictators from countries like Iran, Turkey and North Korea”.
Canadians have asked us to move. They have asked us to do this work. The other side is quite frankly beyond the pale.
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Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to hear from the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance and to see how passionate he is about Bill C‑11. I completely agree. Canadian content has not been promoted like this in years, and our neighbour to the south is a threat.
I would like to ask the minister if Bill C‑11 will help creators, especially francophones in Quebec. We know there is a lot of talent there and that they need to be encouraged. Will the bill help our creative industry in Quebec?
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her very good question.
With only 5% of content coming from francophone creators, we have work to do and progress to make. With Bill C‑11, we are updating the CRTC program and focusing on racialized people, members of the LGBTQ+ community, indigenous peoples, francophone creators and people with disabilities. This bill will open up the CRTC to accommodate more people.
The act has not been updated since 1991. I had hair back then. That is an indication of how old the framework under which the CRTC operates is. It is time to update it in order to help francophones, francophiles, the franco-curious, anglophones and people across the country who simply want to create good content, and to ensure that the platforms pay their fair share.
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Madam Speaker, I would like the minister to comment on the Conservative strategy at committee, which has been bizarre beyond belief, including filibustering so witnesses such as the chair of the CRTC could not testify. All the other parties submitted their amendments a week and a half ago, and the Conservatives pretended that the dog ate their homework. They then finally admitted last Friday that they had submitted their amendments, but are still refusing to have clause-by-clause consideration. I tabled a very important motion regarding a subamendment to have hearings into the horrific allegations of sexual assault with respect to Hockey Canada. Had the Conservatives not refused to allow a vote on it, we would be starting the hearings into that important issue today.
I want to ask the minister this: What does he think the Conservative strategy is? What does he think the Conservatives hope to gain by all of the obstruction and chaos they are causing?
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Madam Speaker, I think their number one goal is money. They are fundraising off of their misinformation and disinformation. It is objectionable, but that is what they are doing in the midst of a leadership race, which has ripped their party into many factions. Quite frankly, I would like to look, in the face of truth, at what the Conservatives have been doing.
Earlier this year, the chair of the CRTC said that it would never regulate user-generated content as it is not interested in that. There are hundreds and millions of hours of content uploaded every day, and the CRTC is not only not interested in doing that, it would not be able to do that. This is why we are focused on these platforms: creators will create; the platforms will pay; and Canadian society will benefit. I do not know what the Conservatives are up to. Maybe they can tell us.
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Madam Speaker, I have to admit, the twist and spin the member for Edmonton Centre can put on anything is just astounding, and I appreciate that he is able to do that, although I question whether or not it is valid.
My concern is that, if one does not agree with something and questions something in the House, then they hear: “Oh, how dare you. You are now extremist and trying to censor things.”
That is not what I am hearing from my residents. My residents are asking me what this bill is going to do for them, how they are going to be censored, and if there is potential of being censored. I tell them there absolutely is because, when we take a look at other governments around the world that have implemented something like this, 80% to 85% of what was censored should never have been censored. This is because of the algorithms the CRTC would be using.
Therefore, my question is this: How can we debate this properly through proper procedure when, if one does not agree with it, closure is the only option they have? That is censorship once again in the House, and it is shameful from this government.
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Madam Speaker, these are just more conspiracy theories and more arguments that simply do not hold water.
I sat at committee for four years, from the first time I was in this place, and I understand robust debate. I understand trade-offs, and I understand voting at committee and making sure that we can make bills better. However, the Conservative Party, Her Majesty's loyal opposition, has become Her Majesty's loyal obstructionists. They do not want to debate. They want to oppose, and they do not want to move this bill forward because it helps them raise too much money.
Let us just look at the stuff that is being put out on the Internet. We have members saying that this bill is about controlling what Canadians think and manufacturing group think, which is not the case. The CRTC has said very clearly that it cannot regulate algorithms, nor will it.
Quite frankly, this bill is about who we are as individuals. The Conservatives are heading to a dark space. We are going to do this work because Canadians asked us to.
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Madam Speaker, I wonder if we could turn the temperature down a little bit. Listening to the debate today, one might believe that this is about censorship on one side or how much one loves Corner Gas on the other. The fact is that it is neither. This is about closing debate on a motion that would fast-track amendments at committee tomorrow at 9 p.m. for a really important bill.
I wonder if the minister can share a more nuanced perspective of the reality of what is happening in this place and why he believes this is the only option available.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his observation.
Quite frankly, I would love to see this place work, but it requires the participation of the Conservative Party of Canada, the loyal opposition, to do its job and actually come to the table to debate amendments, and to lose those amendments if they do not have the majority of the committee. However, they are not doing that. They are filibustering, and it is so absurd, but they are filibustering their own motions. I have never seen that in my time here in this place.
Quite frankly, the committee needs to get back to work, and Canadians want us to get back to work. That is what they sent us here for.
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Madam Speaker, there are good members in the Conservative Party. The member for Perth—Wellington is somebody I respect a great deal. However, the reality is that the Conservatives have been blocking absolutely everything coming through the House, and in committee, they have turned it into bedlam.
The fact is that we could not have the CRTC chair come forward to testify when it was the allotted time for the CRTC to testify because the Conservatives blocked that, as they blocked other witnesses, such as the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The fact is Conservatives are blocking presenting amendments, which are vitally important. That is our job. We take a bill and we make it better. We can vote it down, of course. The House has the ability to vote down legislation, but the majority of the House decided that this legislation was important. The majority of the witnesses very clearly, in an overwhelming majority, have said the same thing, so it is our job to now improve the legislation.
For the life of me I just cannot understand, and maybe my colleague can give me some enlightenment, why the Conservatives are not doing the right thing.
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Madam Speaker, I think we have to go back to the numbers. There have been 15 hours of debate at second reading, 21 hours of debate at committee, with seven hours of filibustering, including the Conservatives filibustering their own motion.
To the hon. member's question, what is at stake here and what is important is that the whole thrust of Bill C-11 is to showcase Canadian creators and to make sure that Canadians can discover more of the great stories that Canada has to offer. We will always, as Canadians, have the choice to watch and listen to whatever we want. Bill C-11 just asks platforms to showcase more Canadian stories. What could be nefarious about that? Absolutely nothing about that is nefarious.
This will make it easier for Canadians to discover up-and-coming homegrown talent. Quite frankly, I grew up and discovered The Tragically Hip . I fell in love with Corner Gas, Kim's Convenience and Schitt's Creek. I can go through the list.
I also discovered Mensonges and Tout le monde en parle. Everything we have in Canada is worth broadcasting around the world.
That is what this is about.
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Madam Speaker, the motion we are speaking to here, Motion No. 16, is a limiting fact. We have had closure in the House many times on bills, but for the government to put forward Motion No. 16 for committee work is restrictive in the utmost. It is no wonder there is a majority over there with the Liberals and NDP getting together to try to push this through the way they want to.
My colleague from Saskatoon—Grasswood has made many comments here in the House about the amount of witnesses who have not been heard from yet. He made that point particularly about APTN. I think it is very unconscionable of the government to be putting this motion forward at this time when there is no rush. They have even said it will not pass the Senate before the summer recess. We could still debate this and make sure that all of the witnesses were heard.
I cannot understand it when the minister talks about raising funds. The only way that can be done is if the people of Canada are not happy with it.
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Madam Speaker, exceptional disruption requires exceptional measures. That is why we are here today. We have had dozens of hours of debate on this bill. The Conservatives continue to decide that they do not want to move forward. They will not even let the bill get to clause-by-clause. This is something we almost never see in this place. They will not do the work at committee. It is what their constituents sent them here to do, which is to debate, improve and move forward.
They simply will not let the CRTC go from 1991 to 2022. It is beyond the pale. It is unparliamentary. They are simply obstructing the work of Parliament. That is why we are here.
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Madam Speaker, the member opposite earlier said that the people in his community were curious about what the impact of this bill would be. I can say that in my community, with so many people who work in the arts, they are very concerned about our making sure that web giants contribute back into the system that creates such an important economic sector right here in our country. This includes, for example, High River with Heartland being filmed right there. It is a great series. I believe it is in its 16th season.
I was wondering if the minister could comment on the economic opportunity.
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Madam Speaker, from Alberta to Toronto and from St. John's to Yukon, this vast country has stories that deserve to be told. Platforms need to pay their fair share. That is what this is about.
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- Jun/13/22 12:31:50 p.m.
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It is my duty to interrupt the proceedings at this time and put forthwith the question on the motion now before the House.
The question is on the motion.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
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- Jun/13/22 12:32:21 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, we would request a recorded division.
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- Jun/13/22 12:32:26 p.m.
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