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May 13th, 2019

The Same Rules for all: the NDP Calls for Action on Web Giants

OTTAWA – Today, NDP Deputy Leader Alexandre Boulerice and NDP Finance Critic Pierre-Luc Dusseault announced the NDP’s plan to end the preferential treatment of web giants.

“Our artists, local businesses, national broadcasters, and local media all pay their fair share of taxes. But web giants make billions of dollars each year in Canada, while paying no taxes. That’s far from fair,” said Boulerice (Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie). “It’s simple: these multinationals have an unfair advantage and our small businesses, artists, French language content, and the funding our public services are at risk because of it.”

The NDP believes that the Liberal government is on the wrong track. Instead of making sure everyone pays their fair share of taxes, consecutive Liberal and Conservative governments have chosen to continue to give web giants a free pass. Amazon claimed profits of $12 billion in 2018, but did not pay any taxes in Canada. Facebook and Google have made around $5.1 billion in tax-free advertising revenue in Canada alone.

“We can clearly see the priorities of the Liberal government. Rather than fixing this injustice, Justin Trudeau and his team went even further by signing a secret deal with Netflix without any consultation with the Government of Quebec, and without any guarantee of creating French content,” added Dusseault (Sherbrooke). “Liberals and Conservatives do not understand that when the rich pay fewer taxes, the rest of us pay more.”

The NDP is proposing a level playing field for all, where large foreign multinationals must pay their fair share. New Democrats will stand up to web giants and make sure they play by the same rules as Canadian companies. By taking this bold action, the government would recoup billions of dollars that could be used to make life more affordable for all Canadians, protect our content and culture, save local media, and create good quality jobs for the future.