Miller says cultural funding will come ‘very quickly’ as Bloc raise motion in Parliament

Canadian Identity Minister Marc Miller promised new funding pledged to the cultural sector earlier this year will be dispersed “very quickly,” as Ottawa faces increasing pressure from opposition MPs and advocacy groups. In June, the Liberals asked the CRTC to review its decision under the Online Streaming Act that would require major U.S. streaming companies to earmark 15 per cent of Canadian revenues every year to funding Cancon, and introduced $600 million in annual public funding to act as a stopgap for a domestic cultural sector that had been expecting billions in contributions from the CRTC decision. Miller also vowed to issue a new policy direction to the CRTC focused on “affordability,” which many observers framed as an effort to appease companies like Netflix Inc., Amazon.com Inc., and Apple Inc. by reducing their funding requirements. It remains unclear when the directives will be released. However, months after the announcement, the Liberals have yet to outline how and when the funding will be provided — leaving many stakeholders and parliamentarians impatient. “The Liberals have deprived our creators of sustainable funding for our culture from American tech giants,” said Bloc Québécois MP Martin Champoux (Drummond, Que.) during Question Period on Tuesday. “In return, they promised $600 million in funding. Imagine: our cultural sector still has not seen a single penny of that money.” “First of all, when will the government keep its word and pay the $600 million?” In response, Miller (Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs, Que.) rose in the House of Commons and said “the money will come very soon,” though he did not directly address further questions from Champoux regarding whether the Liberals would reinstate the CRTC-mandated levies for U.S. streamers. “The Bloc Québécois is the only one complaining that there is no money for culture when its own members have done nothing when it comes time to invest and vote for our budget, which has allocated billions of dollars for culture,” added Miller. The Bloc has placed a motion on the Notice Paper indicating the sovereigntists will move for the government to uphold streamer requirements and make an “interim” payment of $600 million to the cultural sector. The motion will be debated on the Bloc’s next allocated supply day, and will come to a vote in the House in the near future. Motions are non-binding and, if passed, the Liberals would not be required to abide by its proposal. Hunting for answers Miller reiterated his promise to quickly release funding during a reception on Parliament Hill hosted by the Coalition for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CDCE) on Tuesday evening. The CDCE is holding its annual lobbying blitz this week, where executive director Marie-Julie Desrochers is meeting with various officials to seek clarity on the federal government’s approach. “We feel it’s important to make our voice heard every year,” Desrochers told The Wire Report in an interview. “We are still waiting to know what is happening with the new policy direction. Will there be a new policy direction? When will that be? What will be the content of this new policy direction? And we’re also waiting to see the $600 million that was announced.” “We hope to have some answers regarding that because we feel there is no need to wait now. Now, it’s time to act.” Among other things, the CDCE is calling for the Liberals to defend the Online Streaming Act and Canada’s cultural exemption in any subsequent trade discussions with the U.S., and enhance legislative copyright protections for Canadian creatives. Desrochers spoke immediately before Miller at Tuesday’s event, which was attended by Liberal, Bloc, and Conservative MPs, as well as representatives from the cultural sector, many of whom expressed anxiety regarding what they described as a lack of movement from the federal government. “It’s coming very quickly,” Miller repeated in French. “Fundamentally, cultural sovereignty is about protecting who we are, protecting our artists, protecting our country, protecting our ability to tell our own stories in our own languages.” Miller said Ottawa’s decision to terminate bilateral trade discussions with the U.S. last month demonstrated the Liberal government’s commitment to protecting Canadian culture. As reported by other news outlets, Canada walked away from the negotiation table after disagreements remained unresolved on various issues, including discoverability measures and protections for the French language. “Obviously, in the context of the very tense trade negotiations with the United States, we have been clear that we will not compromise our sovereignty, our cultural sovereignty, and the protection of French and the discoverability of our culture,” said Miller, who added how the government is constantly navigating “profound geopolitical upheavals, economic pressures, and the rise of AI (artificial intelligence) new technologies” Some stakeholders, who asked not to be named, speculated on Tuesday the $600 million will be included in the federal government’s next budget, set to be released on November 5. Spokespeople for Miller and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne (Saint-Maurice—Champlain, Que.) did not immediately respond to The Wire Report’s questions on the subject. dlegree@thewirereport.ca

Miller says cultural funding will come ‘very quickly’ as Bloc raise motion in Parliament

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By Davis Legree
|October 21, 2026

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Miller says cultural funding will come ‘very quickly’ as Bloc raise motion in Parliament

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