Why Quebec Hates Netflix

Last week Pierre-Karl Péladeau unleashed a blistering attack on Netflix complaining that the American giant doesn't play by 'Quebec' rules. Hilariously, he complained that the Internet service doesn't collect sales tax robbing the Quebec and Canadian government of valuable revenue.

"Everybody should be treated the same way. We're all paying our taxes. All services and goods sold in Canada are taxed. Why would you have exceptions?"

First of all, not all services and goods in Canada are taxed, but that is hardly the point.
Péladeau wasn't acting like a politician protecting the interests of citizens, but rather a private businessman trying to protect his turf. Do any of you believe he cares about taxes collected, or rather the fact that not collecting taxes on Netflix makes the product more accessible. He also whined over the fact that Netflix doesn't pay into the $350 million dollar media fund that is funded by a tax on Canadian media. As is the case in most subsidy programs run by Ottawa, francophones benefit over and above the proportion that numbers would suggest. With 22% of the Canadian population, French productions account for 33% of the fund's spending, a 50% overreach.

But all this is crocodile tears, the real fly in the ointment for the Quebec government and French language militants, in particular, is the perceived pernicious influence Netflix is having in Quebec and the fact that the Quebec government cannot regulate its content.
Quebec is the champion regulator, using its power to control industry through a myriad of bureaucratic rules and red tape, meant to control business in order to protect its turf and direct development or in many cases, curtail development and innovation as in the case of Uber. Quebec followed its tried and true method of stifling outside innovation by squeezing Uber through a bureaucratic nightmare to the point that it just gave up and announced that it is quitting Quebec, much to the glee of the entrenched powers that be and a taxi industry that just couldn't compete.

At any rate, the real problem for Quebec with Netflix is not taxes or contributions to media funds, it is that the service is available in English only and that Quebec cannot impose Bill 101, content rules or any other regulation at all.
One would think that its influence amongst francophone Quebec viewers would be minimal given its programming is overwhelmingly in English, but incredibly that isn't the case.
While Netflix has penetrated about 40% of English Canadian homes, it has also become popular in about 20% of francophone homes, an incredible number that is growing.

When I first heard the number I was skeptical, because watching television and movies in another language doesn't just require bilingualism, but a high level of bilingualism and although about 45% of francophone Quebecers consider themselves bilingual, ordering breakfast in English doesn't require the level of comprehension that watching a show in English does.

I asked some of my francophone friends about Netflix and had my eyes opened as to why so many francophones, even those without good English are subscribing.

First, the interface that allows you to maneuver through the available programming is offered in multiple languages, including French, so no English is not required to find your programming.

Second is the fact that French subtitles are furnished (as well as other languages) and while not perfect, it allows those without the necessary language skills to enjoy the latest original programming that is unavailable in the local French media. It is the only way francophones can stay current with the newest episodes of House of Cards, Ozark, Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, etc. etc.

All this has Quebec language militants seeing red because for too long Quebec francophones were prisoners to the likes of local media that produce original French-language programming and Quebec versions of American game shows. More importantly, local French media controlled all the dubbed versions of American television series.

I myself have been watching a Russian and Chinese series on Netflix and after eight or nine shows have picked up a bit of Russian.
More importantly is the transfer of culture. Watching the Russian television series  "The Sniffer"  exposed me to modern life in Russia. The same goes for a Chinese program called "When a Snail Falls in Love" and the Mexican series called "Ingobernable."

Years ago, francophone teens were exposed to English via video games offered exclusively in English, something that the Quebec government shut down quickly, forcing producers to offer French versions, something they cannot do with Netflix, much to their consternation.
And so Netflix is probably contributing more to the teaching of English to Quebec francophones than any private language school or public school teaching English as a second language. As francophones consume English programming, they become more and more interested in a world outside Quebec and that dear friends is what is scaring the crap out of language militants who have always desired to keep Quebec francophones 'barefoot and pregnant' or in other words, prisoners of language and culture.

Now in a brilliant move, Netflix announced that it will be spending half a billion dollars on Canadian produced content over the next few years, content that will be of the highest quality, since it will be shown across the entire Netflix network, unlike the crapola produced by the Canada Media Fund which is mired in mediocrity because it provides basically free money that has to be spent.

Of course, the bugbear in all this is that the Canadian content Netflix will be produced exclusively in English, providing stories and themes across the English experience, not something that is easy to swallow amongst the powers that be and language nationalists.

And so Netflix is the latest enemy of Quebec bureaucrats and language militants with seemingly no solution to Quebec's "Netflix problem." since Ottawa has already indicated that it will not attack Netflix over taxes and seems eminently satisfied with Netflix's announcement of Canadian content.

Emboldened by its victory over Uber, Quebec politicians are eager to take on Netflix but are sadly coming to the realization that they are outgunned and outsmarted.
While the powers that be are enraged that they are helpless to defeat Netflix, Quebec francophones are rushing to exploit their new-found liberation and that is a good thing.