After U.S. targets culture, Bloc asks Carney to backtrack on DST, CanCon payments

OTTAWA - The Bloc Québécois has urged the Liberal government to reintroduce the digital services tax on tech giants and maintain Canadian content payments for streaming services. These policies were abandoned by Ottawa after Washington deemed them trade irritants. The Bloc wants the government to change direction following failed trade negotiations with the U.S. and the imposition of 50% tariffs on multiple Canadian goods.

Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that U.S. pressure concerning discoverability rules, which would impact streaming service options for Canadians, contributed to the talks' termination. The CRTC's rules overseeing foreign streaming companies' contributions to Canadian content and the ongoing endeavor to implement discoverability requirements are both under the purview of Canada's Online Streaming Act. This news piece was originally published by The Canadian Press on August 24, 2026.