A Bloc Québécois attempt to restore a 15% levy on Netflix and other streaming services has been overwhelmingly defeated in the House of Commons, with MPs voting 298-23 against the proposal.Blacklock's Reporter says the motion sought to reverse the Liberal government's decision to suspend mandatory payments from foreign streaming platforms following threats of trade retaliation from U.S. President Donald Trump.Bloc MP Martin Champoux (Drummond, Que.), who introduced the motion, accused the Liberals of abandoning Canada's cultural sector and surrendering billions of dollars in potential revenue.“This kind of flip-flopping and back-and-forth is absolutely pointless,” Champoux told the Commons.“In the end, the tax was repealed. We are depriving ourselves of billions of dollars that could give some serious breathing room to our cultural sector.”Not a single Liberal MP supported the motion, which called on cabinet to uphold the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's (CRTC) decision to impose mandatory contributions on streaming services under the Broadcasting Act.Champoux accused the government of repeatedly retreating from its commitments to Canadian cultural industries.“Liberals have done nothing but backtrack on cultural issues,” he said.“I have a hard time imagining how the Liberal government which has always claimed to support culture, or at least given the appearance of that, could oppose our motion.”The controversy stems from Bill C-11, legislation passed in 2023 that expanded federal broadcasting regulations to include online streaming platforms.The legislation established a framework for requiring major streaming services to contribute 5% of their Canadian revenues toward domestic television, film and other productions.On May 21, the CRTC proposed increasing mandatory contributions to 15%, tripling the original rate..However, Heritage Minister Marc Miller suspended revenue collection on June 3 amid concerns about escalating trade tensions with Washington.“It is no secret to anyone who has been paying attention that the United States Trade Representative has identified these issues as a trade issue,” Miller said at the time.Trump had condemned the levy as an unfair trade measure targeting American technology and entertainment companies.“Only America should be allowed to tax American firms,” stated a 2025 White House fact sheet.During debate, Champoux accused the Liberals of mishandling the legislation and failing to deliver the promised financial support for Canadian productions.“They botched the job,” he said.Liberal MP David Myles (Fredericton-Oromocto), parliamentary secretary for culture, defended the government's decision, arguing that ongoing legal challenges had prevented the streaming contributions from being collected.“There were too many lawsuits,” Myles told MPs.“The Act did not produce the desired results,” he said. “The contributions that were supposed to support our cultural sector have never been paid as they have been stuck in litigation for years.”Conservative MP Todd Doherty (Cariboo-Prince George, B.C.) said the controversy was another example of the Liberal government failing to follow through on its commitments.“Culture is very important,” Doherty said. “What is also important is keeping one’s promise. The Government has a record of not keeping its promises.”The 298-23 defeat leaves the government's suspension of the streaming levy in place, with no immediate indication that mandatory payments from platforms such as Netflix will resume.
