Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Steven MacKinnon

Liberal on Ethics 2026-04-24

109 words · 5 sentences · 7 clauses

Replying to Michael Barrett (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, the ethics committee issued its report to make Canada’s conflict of interest laws stronger, and we know that Canada needs this because Canadians deserve accountability but have a Prime Minister who is guaranteed future bonus payments from Brookfield, the company he used to run. The Prime Minister should sell his assets so Canadians know that his decisions are in the public interest, not in his own personal financial interest, which is currently the case. The Prime Minister has an opportunity to do the right thing to show Canadians he is serious about democracy and about accountability. Will the Prime Minister sell his assets and adopt the committee’s recommendations?”

Statement grade

B–

Average 70 / 100

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

Claims 79%Procedure 10%The question 9%Aside 2%

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

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 86 wordsas the member knows, all 343 of us must abide by some of the strictest ethics rules that exist in the world.Unearned certainty The Prime Minister disposed of all his assets in a blind trust on the day of his election as Liberal Party leader, five days before he was sworn in as prime minister.¹ He took this step on day one. Let us contrast that with the member’s leader, who has been in the House for 20 years and still does not have a security clearance.² Procedure · 11 wordsThe member needs to stand in his place and answer this: ProcedureThe question · 10 wordsWhen his leader will get a security— Some hon. members: Off pointAside · 2 wordsOh, oh!Aside

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 83

2 of 6 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.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “The member needs to stand in his place and answer this:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Oh, oh!”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 57

3 of 6 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 question asked.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Let us contrast that with the member’s leader, who has been in the House for 20 years and still does not have a security clearance.”Pivots to an attack on the Conservative leader’s security clearance instead of answering about the Prime Minister’s assets.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “The member needs to stand in his place and answer this:”Demands the member answer a question rather than responding to what was asked.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “When his leader will get a security— Some hon. members:”Continues the counter-question about the security clearance, offering nothing on the question asked.

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 · 71

1 of 6 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 “some of the strictest ethics rules that exist in the world”A superlative comparison asserted with no source or measure offered to check it against.

Claims · 2

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“The Prime Minister disposed of all his assets in a blind trust on the day of his election as Liberal Party leader, five days before he was sworn in as prime minister.”Canada’s Prime Minister placed all his assets in a blind trust on the day he was elected Liberal Party leader, five days before being sworn in as prime minister.search
2“the member’s leader, who has been in the House for 20 years and still does not have a security clearance”The Conservative leader has served in the House of Commons for 20 years and does not hold a security clearance.search

Analysed on 2026-09-15