About the call:

Phone calls are hands down the best way to get your representative's attention. Even a small number of calls can make a huge impact! If you're not able to speak with Pablo Rodriguez directly, that’s okay – you can speak to an assistant, or leave a voicemail.

Key Talking Points:

Say your name, where you live, and a bit about yourself (eg. you are a parent, a concerned citizen, a student, a professional, retired, etc.)

Tell them you’re calling about the CRTC’s Internet taxation and regulation proposal.

Use any of these following points, or add your own:

Canada already pays some of the highest prices in the world for our Internet services. We can’t afford to pay even more.

All of these proposed levies will simply be passed on to customers as additional fees on their monthly bills.

I’m worried that these new taxes will increase Internet bills for me and my family, driving them even higher than they already are.

Competition and increased choice is the answer to high prices. This Internet Tax proposal will hurt the competitive field for smaller Internet Service Providers who already face an uphill battle against The Big Three.

Former Heritage Minister Mélanie Joly already rejected a Netflix and Internet Tax.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau already rejected a Netflix and Internet Tax.

In a February 2017 study, more than 70 per cent of Canadians said they were against an Internet Tax.

More than 37,000 Canadians already rejected an Internet Tax through an OpenMedia petition.

We do not want the Internet to look like cable. Please reject this proposal, and take this idea back off the table.

More information:

We support Canadian content and finding sustainable ways to fund its creation — but these proposed Internet fees are the wrong way to do it. Forcing Internet users who already face some of the highest prices in the world to subsidize struggling industries is not the way forward.

Internet Taxes would raise prices, harm innovation, and keep more people offline — especially in Indigenous and remote communities.6

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Heriatge Minister Joly already rejected the idea of a broadband tax to pay for Canadian content.

"We're not going to be raising taxes on the middle class through an Internet broadband tax.That is not an idea we are taking on," said Prime Minister Trudeau in June of last year.7

And in September, Minister Joly said: "Broadband coverage is uneven across the country. We pay some of the highest rates in the world. Our government won’t increase the cost of these services to Canadians by imposing a new tax."8

Meet the Proposed Internet Fees: The Internet Tax: A new fee that would be imposed onto the monthly bills of Canada’s Internet subscribers to promote Canadian culture in the 21st century. This would force Internet prices to go up and keep even more Canadians offline.9 The Netflix Tax: Imposing a new tax for online content companies would be inappropriate given the advantages vertically-integrated telecom giants — companies that both own communications infrastructure, as well as content empires, like TV stations and magazines — have over providers such as Netflix. Such a tax would favour Big Telecom and stifle new delivery platforms — exactly the opposite of what Canadians are calling for.10

There are many ways to support Canadian culture that are worthy of support. But these Internet fees are just plain backwards — it makes online content production more expensive and rewards broadcasting executives who are increasingly out of touch with how people interact with media. All while increasing our costs to get online.

Tell Minister Rodriguez: “We cannot allow proposals that would raise the price of Internet access. You must take the Internet Tax back off the table.”