Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Ernie Klassen

Liberal on Adjournment Proceedings 2026-04-23

175 words · 12 sentences · 13 clauses

Replying to Jonathan Rowe (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, I guess I know why the parliamentary secretary was the one reading the answer, because I do not think any Newfoundlander would be brave enough to read that and then go home and face their constituents. It almost seems like the member completely ignored what I just said about my bill not introducing new fees. It is right here. It says the minister must “examine the possibility”. It was even in the minister’s hands. I put that in there. It is so frustrating. We talk about consultation. Poor old Uncle Joe and his little fish hooks are going to ruin the whole fishery. There are 2,500 tonnes that come out of the recreational food fishery and over 40,000 tonnes from the fishery. More fish are dying due to natural causes. One seal eats three tonnes. Way more fish are being eaten by seals, and that problem is something that the Liberal Party refuses to even talk about, let alone handle. It is so frustrating. I would like to know if the parliamentary secretary even went to Newfoundland and asked someone involved in the recreational food fishery on a wharf outside of St. John’s what they wanted to do.”

Statement grade

Average 90 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Positioning 15%Claims 74%The ask 11%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 13 wordsit sounds like the member is forgetting what his bill actually called for.Positioning Claims · 110 wordsIt is a tax on food for people in his province. It did not say anything about fishing seven days a week, ¹but it did call for new red tape and licence fees on food fishers.² That is not what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want.Unearned certainty He did not consult or listen to fishers. He put forward a proposal that threatened the entire commercial fishing industry in Atlantic Canada. That is tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.³ The Minister of Fisheries did a full survey to hear from the people in the province on what they want to see in the food fishery.⁴ Over 9,500 people completed the survey.⁵ Positioning · 14 wordsOur government knows how much people in his province care about the food fishery.Positioning The ask · 19 wordsThe member should read the “What We Heard Report” we recently published to see what real consultation looks like.⁶ Claims · 19 wordsHe will find that his proposals for more red tape and licence fees are not popular with food fishers.

At a glance

Lost points for
AnsweredOf this reply, 100% addressed the question or point raised.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 78

2 of 3 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “it sounds like the member is forgetting what his bill actually called for.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Our government knows how much people in his province care about the food fishery.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 3 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the point put to the member.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 93

1 of 3 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “That is not what Newfoundlanders and Labradorians want”Asserts the preference of an entire province with no cited source or evidence.

Claims · 6

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“It did not say anything about fishing seven days a week”Jonathan Rowe’s private member’s bill did not include a provision about fishing seven days a week.search
2“it did call for new red tape and licence fees on food fishers”Jonathan Rowe’s private member’s bill called for new licence fees on food fishers.search
3“That is tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars”The commercial fishing industry in Atlantic Canada accounts for tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.search
4“The Minister of Fisheries did a full survey to hear from the people in the province on what they want to see in the food fishery”The Minister of Fisheries launched a survey on Newfoundland and Labrador’s food fishery.search
5“Over 9,500 people completed the survey”More than 9,500 people completed the DFO food fishery survey.search
6“the “What We Heard Report” we recently published”The government recently published a “What We Heard Report” on the food fishery.search

Analysed on 2026-09-15