“Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly recently announced the government’s cultural policy road map. What do you think these plans?”

Cameron Ahmad Liberal strategist "Canadians are fiercely proud of our creators and cultural entrepreneurs, and our Government is committed to support Canadian creators and media. Last month, Minister Joly announced a forward-looking plan to continue to create space for Canadian voices. Canada’s first-ever strategy for a creative economy will help Canadian creators and cultural entrepreneurs get the support they need and promote their work across our country and around the world. "Our vision for a creative Canada starts at home. We are investing in Canadian creators by supporting early-stage development and collaboration, growing creative hubs, and modernizing funding programs, so that Canadian artists have increased support and more stable funding to bring projects to life. We are strengthening public broadcasting and supporting local news by reinvesting in the Media Fund, and we will also review the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act, to make sure our laws and regulations work in an online environment, and keep our vital domestic broadcasting market strong. "We are also committed to promote the discovery and distribution of Canadian content globally. We announced that Netflix will establish a permanent presence in Canada and will invest at least $500 million over five years in Canadian content—with at least $25-million dedicated to a market development strategy for French-language content and production. Netflix Canada will support our film industry, create jobs, and help more Canadian artists bring their vision to life. Meanwhile, we are investing $125-million over the next five years to support Canada’s first Creative Export Strategy, to help open up new markets and opportunities for Canada’s creative entrepreneurs. "Our vision will support high-quality creative work in both official languages, create good, well-paying jobs for Canadians, and grow our creative economy for generations to come." Cory Hann Conservative strategist "Let’s be clear about what this announcement ended up being—a lot of hype with little result. Despite building it up for months, the policy in place remains largely unchanged from what has been in place for years. Overall, the Liberal government’s proposed 'new' cultural policy proposes very little that is new. "There is one good piece in this, however. The Liberals actually followed our advice in rejecting a Netflix tax. I’m as shocked as anyone, frankly. Their own Liberal controlled committee called for a Netflix tax. And for a government looking to nickel and dime our middle class at every opportunity, including taxing our local businesses and even as petty as mall employee discounts on socks, the fact they did not tax Netflix is a great win for Conservatives and every taxpayer in this country we consistently stand up for. "What we need to keep our hands off is the relationship in the cultural sector between creators and their audience. There is no role for government to be interfering or distorting that relationship. Canadian creators have stories to tell the world and music to perform that people want to hear. We need to allow Canadians in the cultural sector to flourish and succeed, not bog them down with government bureaucracy." Riccardo Filippone NDP strategist "If the government’s cultural policy announcement is indeed a ‘road map,' then it’s clear the Liberals are putting large corporations in the driver’s seat, and leaving Canadian consumers and creators at the side of the road. "Rather than unveiling a plan to ensure massive digital corporations dominating our media consumption, like Google and Netflix, begin paying their fair share, the minister cut a deal with Netflix for a one-time pay-off, with no strings attached. "What’s worse is the deal comes at the same time as Netflix is hiking its rates for Canadian consumers; the total increase making up about three quarters of what the digital giant ‘generously’ offered as an investment. "Not only does the Netflix deal fail to address this unfair disadvantage for local producers, it also lets this American company define Canadian content and our cultural market. There are no provisions for things like francophone or indigenous content. "Our cultural industries are key drivers of our national identity and the many vibrant cultures that shape it. Canadian content producers tell our stories, explore our past, and imagine our future. Canada needs to navigate this new terrain by putting Canadians and our content creators at the heart of our cultural policy." Mathieu Renaud St-Amand Bloc strategist "Mélanie Joly’s cultural policy is truly a mess. Her interviews to try to explain the policy to Quebec were quite simply catastrophic. In an effort to justify her decision not to tax Netflix, the minister took to every platform to defend the indefensible. She managed to unite Quebec’s unions and its employers’ council in a single stroke. Ms. Joly decided to confer an advantage on an American company that will continue to offer its service without collecting taxes, unlike the Quebec streaming services Club illico and Tou.tv, which will have to charge their customers taxes on the same service. "Unfortunately, the bad news from Ms. Joly’s new policy did not end with the taxation double standard. The minister puffed up her chest in announcing that she had reached a historic agreement to obtain $500-million from Netflix. But she was unable to tell us how much new money will be invested. Remember that Netflix had already embarked on its Canadian adventure by producing Anne and Frontier with partners. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the minister’s failure to ask for a minimum amount of French-language content. Everyone agrees that giving an American multinational the task of producing French-language content is a very bad idea. Everyone except Ms. Joly." Dan Palmer Green strategist "The Creative Canada Policy Framework uses a lot of aspirational language, but it’s short on policy. The decisions taken by Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly have been messy, beginning with the row ignited from the poorly managed Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill, continuing in Quebec over the $500-million Netflix deal for Canadian content, and onwards with opaque explanations about how Canadian Content Development (CCD) contributions will be sustained as the digital transition continues. CCD are the dollars that flow from radio broadcasters to initiatives that aid in the development and promotion of Canadian content for broadcast. In other words, broadcasters subsidize Canadian music, and the government adds to the pot. This model has helped Canadian content get off the ground. "In the digital age, however, broadcasters are up in arms that digital platforms like Netflix and Spotify get access to Canadian consumers without playing by the same rules. Understandably so. If Joly really wants to create an even playing field while fostering digital transition, she has missed the mark. Artists in Canada depend on Canadian Heritage grants to survive. But if we’re going to overhaul the funding model, we will witness more Canadian talent leaving for larger markets, and more artists choosing to throw in the towel." The Hill Times