Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Eric Duncan

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

117 words · 9 sentences · 11 clauses

Replying to Kevin Lamoureux (Liberal)

“Mr. Speaker, Stephen Harper had a minority government, and then he had a majority of the seats in the House. When he got the majority of the seats in the House, he was given a majority of seats in the standing committees. In a minority situation, it is a minority number of seats in the standing committees. When a government makes up a majority on the floor of the House of Commons, it gets a majority in the standing committees. That is a long-established principle and parliamentary tradition, not only here in Canada but in the entire Commonwealth. Now the Conservatives want to change the rules. I pose this question to the member. Let us say a government wins 172 seats on an election night, and then one member crosses the floor, so it has 171 seats. Is the member trying to tell me the Conservatives would say the government still gets to have a majority of the committee members? I think the Conservatives would do the exact same thing. Stephen Harper would do exactly what he did when he got a majority government, when he had a majority of the members in the House of Commons, and that is to have a majority in the standing committees. Does the member not see the hypocrisy?”

Statement grade

30 / 100, held down by Relevance

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

Positioning 38%Claims 56%Reasoning 6%

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

Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 10 wordsdo members know how Stephen Harper got a majority government?Positioning Claims · 35 wordsHe got it from Canadians. He got directly elected by Canadians with a majority government.¹ He did not have a minority government and then have floor crossers give him an artificial majority through backroom deals.² Positioning · 34 wordsWe have talked about distrust, we have talked about hypocrisy, and we have talked about Canadians being frustrated with our democratic institutions. Actions like this give the institution and the Liberals a bad name.Positioning Claims · 31 wordsStephen Harper earned his majority through the ballot box, from Canadians.³ The Prime Minister did not get a majority mandate from Canadians.⁴ He got it through backroom deals with floor crossers, ⁵Reasoning · 7 wordsand that is why Canadians are frustrated.Off point

At a glance

Lost points for
Didn't answerNone of this reply addressed the specific point raised or the topic under debate.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 56

4 of 15 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 “do members know how Stephen Harper got a majority government?”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 “We have talked about distrust, we have talked about hypocrisy,”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 “and we have talked about Canadians being frustrated with our democratic institutions.”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 “Actions like this give the institution and the Liberals a bad name.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 0

11 of 15 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.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “do members know how Stephen Harper got a majority government?”The clause discusses Stephen Harper’s majority, which is not the hypothetical parliamentary principle asked about.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “He got it from Canadians.”The clause states the source of Harper’s majority, but does not address the principle of committee majority after crossing.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “He got directly elected by Canadians with a majority government.”The clause describes how Harper obtained a majority, which is irrelevant to the procedural 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 “He did not have a minority government and then have floor crossers give him an artificial majority through backroom deals.”The clause criticizes past government dealing, which does not address the specific parliamentary rule question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “We have talked about distrust, we have talked about hypocrisy,”The clause makes a general statement about distrust and hypocrisy without addressing the specific procedural question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and we have talked about Canadians being frustrated with our democratic institutions.”The clause offers a general observation about public frustration with democratic institutions.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Actions like this give the institution and the Liberals a bad name.”The clause offers a general opinion on the impact of actions on the Liberals.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Stephen Harper earned his majority through the ballot box, from Canadians.”The clause defends Harper’s majority through the ballot box, but does not answer the question regarding committee majority rules.
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 Prime Minister did not get a majority mandate from Canadians.”The clause attacks the current Prime Minister’s mandate, pivoting away from the specific parliamentary 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 “He got it through backroom deals with floor crossers,”The clause accuses the Prime Minister of using backroom deals, which does not answer the procedural 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 “and that is why Canadians are frustrated.”The clause links public frustration to backroom deals, a separate political accusation from the original question.

Respect · 100

0 of 15 deductions are Respect

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.

Nothing lost points.

Clarity · 100

0 of 15 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 · 5

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“He got directly elected by Canadians with a majority government”Stephen Harper won a majority government directly in a general election.search
2“He did not have a minority government and then have floor crossers give him an artificial majority”Stephen Harper’s majority government was not obtained through floor crossings after a minority government.search
3“Stephen Harper earned his majority through the ballot box, from Canadians”Stephen Harper’s majority government was won through a general election.search
4“The Prime Minister did not get a majority mandate from Canadians”The current Prime Minister’s party did not win a majority of seats in the most recent general election.search
5“He got it through backroom deals with floor crossers”The governing party’s majority of House seats was reached through members crossing the floor to it.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20