It’s getting ugly for Joly over Netflix deal

MONTREAL • Canadian Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly is one of the federal government’s most prominent Quebec members, a young dynamo who is supposed to shore up Liberal fortunes in the province.

But since her announcement last week of an agreement with Netflix that spares the American streaming service from being taxed and guarantees no funding for French-language content, she has been savaged in Quebec media, artistic and political circles.

Reaction to the agreement, presented by the government as a good-news story because Netflix will invest $500 million over five years in Canadian productions, has been overwhelmingly negative in Quebec.

Provincial Culture Minister Luc Fortin last week accused Ottawa of abdicating its responsibilities because there is no provision for a minimum of French-language content in the Netflix deal.

“You can’t rely on the invisible hand of the market to ensure that the French fact will turn up on digital platforms,” he said, describing himself as speechless and angry.

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In radio and television interviews, Joly has struggled to sell the new policy. On Radio-Canada’s Tout le monde en parle TV talk show, financial reporter Gérald Fillion grew frustrated as he sought an explanation for why Joly would not require a tax on Netflix, while Canadian streaming services are taxed. “It seems like you are not hearing us,” he said.

Paul Arcand, morning show host on Montreal’s 98.5FM, accused Joly of “magical thinking” and called her explanation for exempting Netflix from the GST confused. “You can’t be naive and sign blank cheques for American multinationals,” Arcand said. He referred to her responses as “a nice cassette.”

The cassette label has stuck to Joly because of her reputation for reciting scripted answers. The Montreal novelty T-shirt company Mercerie Roger came out with a “Mélanie” T-shirt Tuesday. In the style of a Netflix logo with the minister’s name replacing the company name, it has a download bar at the bottom saying “cassette loading.”

On Tuesday, Joly met with Quebec’s cultural and media industry in an unsuccessful attempt to ease their concerns. Sophie Prégent, president of the Union des artistes, said Joly failed to appreciate the degree of anger.

“I think she really thought that the Netflix agreement was a respite for us, but it’s the opposite: the fire has spread everywhere,” Prégent told the Presse Canadienne.

Hélène Messier, president of the Association québécoise de la production médiatique, which represents independent film, TV and web producers, attended the meeting with Joly.

“I think what has shocked people is the impression that the salvation of the funding of Canadian culture lies in this type of agreement with American giants,” Messier said in an interview.

“Culture is an important economic sector but it is also an important part of our identity,” she said.

“Quebec has always battled to maintain its language and its culture, so we have been wary of the standardization of cultures, the Americanization of cultures. … It is being seen as an abdication of Canadian cultural sovereignty, giving away the keys to the kingdom.”

The next federal election is still two years away, but there is reason for the Liberals to be concerned at how Quebecers have turned on one of their own.

Joly, 38, is a relative newcomer