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‘You’re making this up,’ Miller tells Tory MP over media producers group comments
Culture Minister Marc Miller said MP Rachael Thomas misrepresented independent TV and film producers' comments, which focused on trade talks and Canadian content funding.
On Feb. 12, 2026, Culture Minister Marc Miller accused Conservative MP Rachael Thomas of misleading a Heritage committee hearing, Ottawa, saying she was making up a producers' remark.
Reynolds Mastin, president & CEO of the Canadian Media Producers Association, introduced Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Prime Time conference and made remarks about industry support for the Online Streaming Act funding.
The row featured sharp language, including Miller saying, 'The job of these people is to make shows. Like with puppets', while Thomas insisted 'The role of the media is to be truthful in storytelling, to report the news as Canadians deserve to have it told' at Thursday's Heritage committee meeting.
The Conservatives amplified the remark in fundraising and at their convention by saying Miller tied the comments to trade talks as the United States identified the Online Streaming Act as a trade irritant.
Policy details matter: under the Online Streaming Act, the federal broadcast regulator requires a five per cent contribution toward Canadian content, while the Canadian Media Producers Association represents more than 600 small and medium-sized companies producing movies and TV, not news.