Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Ryan Turnbull

Liberal on Adjournment Proceedings 2026-04-29

412 words · 23 sentences · 26 clauses

Replying to Helena Konanz (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to address the taxes that residents in my community pay every single day, specifically gas taxes. I have requested this opportunity to speak in light of the Minister of Veteran Affairs’ recent response to my question on April 14. Her response to my question on these gas taxes was as follows: British Columbians are happy to hear that...we are making a reduction in fuel costs from now until Labour Day. British Columbians are going to use that to go and enjoy our country as they can this summer. Maybe they will also combine that with the Canada Strong pass as they go and explore this wonderful country. The Liberal minister seems to be suggesting that the purpose of gas tax relief is to encourage more people to take a vacation or to go camping. As fellow British Columbians, she and I agree that our beautiful province certainly is a place families should explore, but it is not the main reason residents in my communities fill up their cars, trucks, vans or SUVs. A family in Hedley does it to get to the grocery store or a hockey practice. A senior in Rock Creek fills up to attend medical appointments or check in with friends. A forestry worker in Christina Lake needs fuel to get to work and then to get home safely. Driving is a fact of life for tens of thousands of residents in my community. That is not to mention the hauling, the transporting or the towing that empties our tanks even faster. Subways, electric buses and public bicycles, which I often hear Liberals talk about, are not available in the communities I serve. A job in the forestry, mining or agriculture sector does not just happen right down the street. It takes a lot of gas to get rural school buses going or to get essentials to rural supermarkets, not just in the spring or summer, but in the autumn and winter. That is why it is now costing a lot more. Higher gas prices truly punish rural communities. That is why Conservatives are offering a full-year gas tax relief plan with zero federal tax on gas and diesel for the rest of 2026, paid for by ending Liberal spending on the gun buyback program, consulting fees and wasteful foreign aid. Our plan would eliminate the fuel excise tax, 10¢ a litre; the clean fuel standard, seven cents; and GST, eight cents, to save every driver 25¢ a litre. This would not just be savings at the gas station as people would also save when they buy an item that has to be shipped to our shelves, where higher transport costs mean bigger receipts. The Liberal plan offers no excise tax on gas until Labour Day. Presumably, that is when Canadians will stop camping. Even now, with the Liberal plan in effect, Castanet reports that “prices at the pumps soared to their highest levels in years” today in the Okanagan, rising roughly 30¢ a litre from just the night earlier. In my home community of Penticton, every gas station today has it above $1.90 a litre. My question to the government is as follows: Given these sudden and shocking increases and the instability in the Middle East, why does the member think Canadians will not need gas tax relief past Labour Day?”

Statement grade

Average 76 / 100

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

Positioning 30%Claims 68%Procedure 2%

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

Mr. Speaker, Positioning · 30 wordsit is shocking to me to hear the hon. member talk as if somehow she believes we operate in a vacuum and apart from global forces beyond the government’s control.Positioning Claims · 183 wordsCertainly, we do not control oil price shocks that are the direct result of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked.⁸ We did not start the war in Iran.² It is not a conflict, unfortunately, that we can stop or control. What we have done, and the members opposite know this very well, is suspend the excise tax on fuel.⁶ We cut the consumer carbon tax.⁷ Those combined are 28¢ per litre.⁴ That is saving families money. What is concerning to me is that Conservatives do not stand up to support the very measures that we put in place to help families out with the cost of living challenges that the member rightly points out. It is not as if the government is somehow blind to the fact that Canadians are experiencing challenges due to shocks in the economy and that the prices of almost all goods have been rising for quite some time, since the aftershocks of the global pandemic. There has been one shock after another. Again, we have offered the groceries and essentials benefit, ¹which the members opposite did not support. Positioning · 14 wordsThey do not seem to want to put more money back in people’s pockets.Positioning Claims · 73 wordsWe offered a middle-class tax cut for 22 million Canadians.⁵ We also offered the Conservatives the opportunity, multiple times in the House, to support a national school food program, ³which feeds 400,000 kids per year. When the member opposite is talking about food prices and is concerned about the cost of living, she has actually chosen not to support feeding 400,000 kids and not to take those kids out of food bank lineups.Partly on point Positioning · 52 wordsWhat is strange to me is that the hon. member can stand in the House and lecture Liberals. It seems a little bit hypocritical for the hon. member to say that she cares about people’s expenses and their cost of living challenges when she would not take 400,000 kids out of poverty.PositioningOff point Claims · 12 wordsWe offered a package of supports with the groceries and essentials benefit— Partly on pointAn hon. member: You do realize how ridiculous you sound. Ryan Turnbull: Procedure · 8 wordsMr. Speaker, I do not mind the crosstalk.Procedure Positioning · 28 wordsIt actually encourages me quite a bit to keep telling the truth in the House. I know it is hard for the Conservatives to accept the truth sometimes.Positioning Claims · 12 wordsWe announced a package of supports, including the groceries and essentials benefit— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

At a glance

Lost points for
Echo ×29“We introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.” Said 29 times by 19 members.Every time it was said
Echo ×7“We cut the consumer carbon tax.” Said 7 times by 2 members.Every time it was said

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 52

7 of 19 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 is shocking to me to hear the hon. member talk as if somehow she believes we operate in a vacuum and apart from global forces beyond the government’s control.”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 “They do not seem to want to put more money back in people’s pockets.”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 “What is strange to me is that the hon. member can stand in the House and lecture Liberals.”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 “It seems a little bit hypocritical for the hon. member to say that she cares about people’s expenses and their cost of living challenges when she would not take 400,000 kids out of poverty.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Mr. Speaker, I do not mind the crosstalk.”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 “It actually encourages me quite a bit to keep telling the truth in the House.”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 “I know it is hard for the Conservatives to accept the truth sometimes.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 51

12 of 19 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 on notice, as the member's speech raises it.

Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “It is not as if the government is somehow blind to the fact that Canadians are experiencing challenges due to shocks in the economy and that the prices of almost all goods have been rising for quite some time, since the aftershocks of the global pandemic.”About general rising prices since the pandemic, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “There has been one shock after another.”A general remark on economic shocks, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “Again, we have offered the groceries and essentials benefit,”About a groceries benefit, another measure, not the gas tax relief asked about.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “which the members opposite did not support.”About the opposition’s stance on a groceries benefit, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “They do not seem to want to put more money back in people’s pockets.”A general accusation about the opposition, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We offered a middle-class tax cut for 22 million Canadians.”About a middle-class tax cut, another measure, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We also offered the Conservatives the opportunity, multiple times in the House, to support a national school food program,”About a school food program offer, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “which feeds 400,000 kids per year.”A figure about the school food program, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “When the member opposite is talking about food prices and is concerned about the cost of living, she has actually chosen not to support feeding 400,000 kids and not to take those kids out of food bank lineups.”About the member’s stance on the school food program, not the gas tax relief 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 “What is strange to me is that the hon. member can stand in the House and lecture Liberals.”A complaint about being lectured, not the gas tax relief 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 “It seems a little bit hypocritical for the hon. member to say that she cares about people’s expenses and their cost of living challenges when she would not take 400,000 kids out of poverty.”An accusation of hypocrisy about the member’s record, not the gas tax relief question.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We offered a package of supports with the groceries and essentials benefit—”Restates the groceries benefit package, another measure, not the gas tax relief question.

Respect · 100

0 of 19 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 19 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.

Echo · 2 repeated lines

Words members of Parliament keep repeating, found by the same rule for every member. No score depends on it.

“We introduced the Canada groceries and essentials benefit.”Said 29 times by 19 members.Every time it was said
“We cut the consumer carbon tax.”Said 7 times by 2 members.Every time it was said

Claims · 8

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“Again, we have offered the groceries and essentials benefit, ”The government offered the groceries and essentials benefit, which opposing members did not support.search
2“We did not start the war in Iran.”The government asserts that it did not start the war in Iran.search
3“We also offered the Conservatives the opportunity, multiple times in the House, to support a national school food program, ”The government multiple times offered the Conservatives the opportunity to support a national school food program that feeds 400,000 kids per year.search
4“Those combined are 28¢ per litre.”The combination of the suspended excise tax on fuel and the cut consumer carbon tax amounts to 28¢ per litre.search
5“We offered a middle-class tax cut for 22 million Canadians.”The government offered a middle-class tax cut targeting 22 million Canadians.search
6“is suspend the excise tax on fuel.”The government suspended the excise tax on fuel.search
7“We cut the consumer carbon tax.”The government cut the consumer carbon tax.search
8“oil price shocks that are the direct result of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked.”Oil price shocks are a direct result of the Strait of Hormuz being blocked.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20