Carol Anstey MP attacks Canada’s proposed streaming tax
A Twitter user, Carol Anstey MP, is publicly protesting against a Canadian Liberal government policy, which she refers to as a "streaming tax." She claims this policy will harm investment, reduce Canada's competitiveness, and escalate trade tensions with the United States, urging others to sign a petition to cancel it.
Key Takeaways
- Carol Anstey MP posted the protest on X on 26 May 2026.
- She called the Liberal government policy a “streaming tax.”
- Her post said the policy would hurt investment and weaken Canada’s competitiveness.
- Anstey also said it would increase trade tensions with the United States.
- The post included a petition asking the government to cancel the policy.
Why It Matters
The immediate signal is political pushback against a Canadian policy tied to streaming, with Carol Anstey MP framing it as harmful to investment and competitiveness. That matters for the streaming policy environment because the debate is now public and explicitly linked to U.S. trade tensions, not just domestic regulation. For readers tracking the issue, the key next datapoint is whether the petition gains traction beyond the post’s initial 11 likes and 4 retweets.
Additional Context
The protest by MP Carol Anstey arrives as Canada's Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) moves forward with the Online Streaming Act (formerly Bill C-11). Per the CRTC in June 2024, foreign streaming services with annual Canadian revenues exceeding $25 million must contribute 5% of those earnings to domestic content funds. This move is estimated to generate $200 million annually for local news, Indigenous content, and French-language programming, though it has faced sustained pushback from U.S.-based platforms like Netflix and Amazon. Trade tensions cited by Anstey have already reached high-level levels of scrutiny. According to Global News in May 2026, the CRTC moved to triple the initial contribution requirement to 15% for large streamers, though recent reports from The Globe and Mail in June 2026 suggest the federal government may now be reconsidering these thresholds to appease U.S. trade negotiators. The U.S. has repeatedly characterized the policy as a discriminatory trade barrier under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). A parallel conflict persists regarding Canada's 3% Digital Services Tax (DST), which targets broad digital revenues beyond just streaming. Per Reuters and Fox Business in June 2025, the U.S. administration threatened retaliatory tariffs and even halted trade talks after Canada confirmed the DST would apply retroactively to 2022. While Canada eventually agreed to repeal the DST to resume negotiations, the 5% to 15% streaming levies remain a distinct and active point of contention for streaming platforms operating in the region.
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