Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Steven MacKinnon

Liberal on Government Business No. 9—Changes to the Standing Orders 2026-04-27

111 words · 5 sentences · 6 clauses

Replying to Maxime Blanchette-Joncas (Bloc Québécois)

“Mr. Speaker, what is the world coming to? As we know, only one in three Canadians has confidence in Parliament and our institutions, according to Statistics Canada. Today, the government is telling us that it wants to fight cynicism. Democracy is not just a slogan that can be repeated over and over again in press releases and here in the House. Words have meaning. Today, the government is telling us that it wants to change the rules because it managed to recruit some members who were not originally on its side. Now that it has a majority in the House, the government also wants a majority on committees. However, voters did not give this government a majority mandate. How can we counter cynicism when the government acts in this way? It does not respect the will of the people. Does my colleague believe that fighting cynicism means not respecting citizens’ choices and what they voted for?”

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.

Procedure 3%Reasoning 30%Positioning 22%Claims 31%Promise 15%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 3 wordsquite the opposite.Procedure Reasoning · 33 wordsWe believe that respecting democracy and our institutions means respecting the standards, conventions, traditions and rules that have been established over the years as we have built the best country in the world. Positioning · 24 wordsI believe that the people of Rimouski, just like those of Gatineau, expect us to respect and uphold the finest traditions of our democracy.Positioning Claims · 34 wordsI would add that just recently, we were able to ask the people of Terrebonne what they thought.¹ They clearly told us that they wish to continue along the path proposed by this government, ²Promise · 17 wordsand that is what we intend to implement with the new composition of the House of Commons.³

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 · 70

2 of 2 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 “quite the opposite.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “I believe that the people of Rimouski, just like those of Gatineau, expect us to respect and uphold the finest traditions of our democracy.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 2 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, and the motion under debate.

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 · 100

0 of 2 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.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 3

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“just recently, we were able to ask the people of Terrebonne what they thought”A recent by-election or vote was held in Terrebonne, Quebec.search
2“They clearly told us that they wish to continue along the path proposed by this government”Voters in Terrebonne elected a candidate supporting the Liberal government in the recent vote.search
3“that is what we intend to implement with the new composition of the House of Commons”The House of Commons has a new composition following the Terrebonne result.search

Analysed on 2026-09-16