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#NoNetflixTax: The internet has fun with Harper's TV-centric Twitter video

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper professes his love for Breaking Bad in a Twitter video slamming the idea of a 'Netflix tax.'

Stephen Harper professes his love for Breaking Bad in a video slamming what he calls a 'Netflix tax'

Lauren O'Neil · CBC News ·
Twitter users had a field day with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Twitter video about the threat of a 'Netflix tax' for Canadians. (Stephen Lautens/Twitter)

Federal leaders: They're just like us!

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper took to Twitter Wednesday night with a message of solidarity for the binge-watchers of Canada.

"Something you may not know about me is that I love movies and TV shows," he said in a 54-second video published to his @pmharper account. "One of my all-time favourites is Breaking Bad — it's even available on some online streaming services, if you've never seen it."

As anyone who noticed the video's title (or the text that accompanied it on Twitter) may have guessed, Harper's light-hearted entertainment banter didn't go on for long.

It is election season, after all, and the Conservative Party leader has more pressing things to talk about than his TV show recommendations.  

Getting to the point, Harper explained the reason for his video.

"Some politicians want to tax digital streaming services like Netflix and YouTube," he said. "Some of us have even called on us to introduce a 'Netflix tax.'"

Harper goes on to suggest that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and NDP Leader Tom Mulcair are in favour of taxing streaming services like Netflix, and that they've left the "door wide open" for this to happen.

"The choice is clear," he says at the end of the video. "Only our Conservative Party can be trusted to focus on the needs of Canadian consumers.… Only our party can be trusted not to bring forward a new Netflix tax."

While both Trudeau's spokesperson and Mulcair himself have since denied that they've considered taxing Netflix users, members of the Conservative Party continue to echo Harper's message about the potential tax threat on Twitter.

Not long after Harper issued his original tweet Wednesday, the #NoNetflixTax hashtag was trending on Twitter in Canada. It continues to be one of the most linked-to English language tweets as of Thursday afternoon.

There are certainly some on Twitter who support the Conservative Party's efforts in keeping any sort of Netflix tax at bay, but the majority of tweets about this subject appear to be sarcastic, or simply incredulous.

Some Canadians have been using the #NoNetflixTax hashtag to suggest other issues they'd like to see the Prime Minister give attention to. 

And others are taking a lighter approach by imagining titles and art for Harper's own (fictional) Netflix show on the #HarperANetflixShow hashtag.

Visit the Canada Votes section of CBCNews.ca for more 2015 federal election coverage.

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