Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Stephanie Kusie

Conservative on Report Stage 2026-05-04

1276 words · 57 sentences · 75 clauses

Statement grade

B+

82 / 100, held down by Signal

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

Thanks 0%Greeting 2%Claims 27%Anecdote 21%Reasoning 25%Positioning 16%The ask 6%Procedure 3%

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

Mr. Speaker, Thanks · 5 wordsI thank all my colleagues.Thanks Greeting · 22 wordsIt is always a pleasure to be here in the House to speak on behalf of the good people of Calgary Midnapore.Greeting Claims · 14 wordsThe people of Calgary Midnapore, of course, reside in the wonderful province of Alberta, Anecdote · 30 wordsand I am going to start my speech today with great words that came out of a campaign in Alberta in the year 2015. Those words are “I believe you”.Anecdote Claims · 21 wordsThis was a campaign created in 2015 by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services to support victims of sexual assault.¹Partly on point Reasoning · 24 wordsWhen someone comes forward and claims that they are a victim of sexual assault, there should be no other response than “I believe you”, Claims · 37 wordsyet 97% of sexual assaults go unreported.² That means 97% of persons who have been the victims of sexual assault do not have the courage to come forward to tell someone their story, what happened to them, Reasoning · 27 wordsbecause they are unsure that they will hear the words “I believe you”. This is the one line that a survivor of sexual assault needs to hear. Positioning · 24 wordsWhat we are hearing today from the government, what it is saying to victims of sexual assault, is that it does not believe them.Positioning The ask · 12 wordsThe Liberals need to say to these victims that they believe them. Anecdote · 16 wordsThis was the crux of this incredible campaign that came out of Alberta: “I believe you”.Anecdote Positioning · 19 wordsOf course, Conservatives are proud of and support all of our men and women in uniform, who serve Canada.Positioning Reasoning · 59 wordsWe believe that we must continue to address sexual misconduct, Vague promiseas well as discrimination, racism and other forms of harassment, because all military members deserve to have a safe and respectful workplace. The greatest way we can do that today is by saying that, regarding Bill C-11, “I believe you”, that we believe them, that the House believes them. Claims · 90 wordsThe previous Conservative government accepted all recommendations from the Deschamps report to eliminate all forms of sexual harassment in the CAF, ³but after 11 long years of Liberal government and two more reports from Supreme Court justices, victims of military sexual misconduct are still no closer to having their cases dealt with properly.⁴ The Liberals’ only idea on military sexual misconduct is to force those cases into the overburdened and even slower civilian justice system without providing resources to local police forces or provincial courts to deal with military cases. Positioning · 34 wordsWhen victims of sexual assault hear that these processes are being delayed, that they are being pushed off by the federal government, what they are hearing is that the government does not believe them.Positioning Reasoning · 10 wordsWhat these victims need to hear is “I believe you”. Positioning · 10 wordsThe Liberals are trying to do what is politically expedient.Positioning Claims · 29 wordsThey want to punt this off to the provinces and municipalities by pushing sexual assault cases off their table and into an already overburdened civilian police and court system. Procedure · 8 wordsWe have seen this time and time again.ProcedureUnearned certainty Anecdote · 130 wordsI think of a great example in my incredible riding of Calgary Midnapore, which is cell phone towers. Constituents are very concerned every time another cell phone tower goes up. They create a petition that they bring it to my attention, and I forward it to the Minister of Industry. I say that my constituents are very concerned about these cell phone towers, about the impacts that they will have on their safety and well-being. What the minister does is punt it off to the municipal level of government. She puts off making a decision and taking responsibility for the actions of the government, particularly on an issue that is so relevant to the health and well-being of Canadians, certainly as much as the issue being discussed here today is.Anecdote Positioning · 34 wordsHowever, this is what Liberals do. They deflect responsibility. They try to muddy the waters by not taking jurisdiction of the decision. Instead, they try to defuse the decision-making process to avoid the responsibility.PositioningOff point Procedure · 8 wordsThat is what we are seeing here today.Procedure Claims · 59 wordsInstead of listening to the legal experts and increasing independence in the military justice system, the Liberals want to ensure that they can politically interfere with ministerial directives and ensure that the director of defence counsel services, the director of military prosecutions and the provost marshal general stay under the thumb of the chain of command of the chief. Procedure · 6 wordsThat is what we are seeing.Procedure Positioning · 12 wordsIt is essentially the Minister of Defence saying, “I don’t believe you”.Positioning Claims · 15 wordsConservatives carefully studied Bill C-11 to ensure concerns from all stakeholders were taken into consideration. Positioning · 41 wordsWe are proud of the progress we made at the Standing Committee on National Defence to improve Bill C-11 and to ensure that the voices of victims and survivors were heard and considered in the studying and amending of this legislation, PositioningClaims · 29 wordsbut most of the witnesses at the committee are asking that victims of military sexual assault be given the choice of what justice system they make their report to.⁵ Reasoning · 55 wordsIs that not the very least that we can do for these victims, these individuals who have received the greatest offence a person can possibly go through, to have their person violated? The very least we can do is give them power in the decision to decide how this abuse of trust would be handled, Claims · 9 wordsbut the government is not willing to do that. Positioning · 9 wordsThe Liberals are essentially saying, “I don’t believe you”.Positioning Claims · 30 wordsThe brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces have put in the work for decades to ensure that no one else has to experience what they went through. Reasoning · 52 wordsIt is time for all of us to stand up, be allies to them and say, “I believe you”. We need to do what we know is the right thing for the next generation, for both our sons and our daughters, not only for those serving in the CAF, but across Canada. Anecdote · 36 wordsAs the mother of a son, I will tell members that my husband and I have had this conversation with him. We hope he will carry it forward with him in all the decisions he makes.AnecdoteOff point Reasoning · 19 wordsRemoving victim choice on how to report sexual offences does nothing to solve the problem.⁶ It only deepens it. Positioning · 27 wordsAfter 11 long years, the Liberals are, once again, letting down the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces by saying, “We don’t believe you”.Positioning The ask · 49 wordsIf Parliament is serious about doing all it can to support those who serve, then all members of Parliament must retain the ability for military victims to choose which reporting path is the safest, most credible and most operationally workable for them, regardless of where they are in Canada. Procedure · 15 wordsWe need to speak with one voice as a House and say this to them: ProcedureReasoning · 37 words“We believe you. We recognize what you have been through, and we honour you by giving you the choice with how you are going to deal with this violation that has occurred to you. We believe you.” Anecdote · 29 wordsIn closing, I want to share another incredible story about Alberta, and it is the #NotInMyCity campaign, ⁷Partly on pointwhich was created to deal with the horrific problem of human trafficking.Anecdote Claims · 17 wordsWe have seen the incredible ambassador Paul Brandt and heard his message in his song Alberta Bound.⁸ Anecdote · 23 wordsExtending beyond musical capabilities, as he and his wife are true songbirds, they advocate for those who are the victims of human trafficking.AnecdoteOff point Reasoning · 30 wordsWe should say each and every day, not only in my great province of Alberta, but also across Canada and in this chamber, “We believe you” and “I believe you”.Partly on point The ask · 14 wordsMembers of CAF should be given the opportunity to make their decisions as such.

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 52

37 of 64 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.

Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I thank all my colleagues.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “It is always a pleasure to be here in the House to speak on behalf of the good people of Calgary Midnapore.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and I am going to start my speech today with great words that came out of a campaign in Alberta in the year 2015.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Those words are “I believe you”.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “What we are hearing today from the government, what it is saying to victims of sexual assault, is that it does not believe them.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “This was the crux of this incredible campaign that came out of Alberta:”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean ““I believe you”.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Of course, Conservatives are proud of and support all of our men and women in uniform, who serve Canada.”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 “When victims of sexual assault hear that these processes are being delayed, that they are being pushed off by the federal government, what they are hearing is that the government does not believe them.”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 “The Liberals are trying to do what is politically expedient.”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 “We have seen this time and time again.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I think of a great example in my incredible riding of Calgary Midnapore,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “which is cell phone towers.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Constituents are very concerned every time another cell phone tower goes up.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “They create a petition that they bring it to my attention,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and I forward it to the Minister of Industry.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “I say that my constituents are very concerned about these cell phone towers, about the impacts that they will have on their safety and well-being.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “What the minister does is punt it off to the municipal level of government.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “She puts off making a decision and taking responsibility for the actions of the government, particularly on an issue that is so relevant to the health and well-being of Canadians, certainly as much as the issue being discussed here today is.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “However, this is what Liberals do.”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 deflect responsibility.”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 try to muddy the waters by not taking jurisdiction of the decision.”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 “Instead, they try to defuse the decision-making process to avoid the responsibility.”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 “That is what we are seeing here today.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “That is what we are seeing.”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 is essentially the Minister of Defence saying, “I don’t believe you”.”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 are proud of the progress we made at the Standing Committee on National Defence to improve Bill C-11 and to ensure that the voices of victims and survivors were heard and considered in the studying and amending of this legislation,”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 “The Liberals are essentially saying, “I don’t believe you”.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “As the mother of a son, I will tell members that my husband and I have had this conversation with him.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “We hope he will carry it forward with him in all the decisions he makes.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “After 11 long years, the Liberals are, once again, letting down the brave men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces by saying, “We don’t believe you”.”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 “We need to speak with one voice as a House and say this to them:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “In closing, I want to share another incredible story about Alberta,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “and it is the #NotInMyCity campaign,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “which was created to deal with the horrific problem of human trafficking.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Extending beyond musical capabilities,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “as he and his wife are true songbirds, they advocate for those who are the victims of human trafficking.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 90

25 of 64 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 bill under debate.

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 “and I am going to start my speech today with great words that came out of a campaign in Alberta in the year 2015.”Introduces a 2015 Alberta campaign as background rather than addressing the bill.
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 “Those words are “I believe you”.”Quotes the campaign slogan without yet engaging the bill.
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 “This was a campaign created in 2015 by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services to support victims of sexual assault.”Describes the origins of the Alberta campaign, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I think of a great example in my incredible riding of Calgary Midnapore,”Introduces a cell phone tower issue in the member’s riding, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “which is cell phone towers.”About cell phone towers, a subject the bill does not touch.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Constituents are very concerned every time another cell phone tower goes up.”About constituents’ concerns over cell phone towers, not military justice.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They create a petition that they bring it to my attention,”About petitions on cell phone towers, not the bill.
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 I forward it to the Minister of Industry.”About forwarding petitions to the Minister of Industry, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I say that my constituents are very concerned about these cell phone towers, about the impacts that they will have on their safety and well-being.”About safety impacts of cell phone towers, not the bill.
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 the minister does is punt it off to the municipal level of government.”About the minister’s handling of cell phone tower matters, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “She puts off making a decision and taking responsibility for the actions of the government, particularly on an issue that is so relevant to the health and well-being of Canadians, certainly as much as the issue being discussed here today is.”Draws a parallel to an unrelated local issue rather than the bill itself.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “However, this is what Liberals do.”A general claim about the Liberals’ conduct, not tied to the bill’s subject.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They deflect responsibility.”A general charge about deflecting responsibility, not about the bill’s provisions.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “They try to muddy the waters by not taking jurisdiction of the decision.”A general accusation about muddying waters, not about the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Instead, they try to defuse the decision-making process to avoid the responsibility.”A general claim about avoiding responsibility, not the bill’s content.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “As the mother of a son, I will tell members that my husband and I have had this conversation with him.”A personal family anecdote about the member’s son, not the bill.
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 hope he will carry it forward with him in all the decisions he makes.”A hope about the member’s son’s future decisions, not the bill.
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 “In closing, I want to share another incredible story about Alberta,”Introduces another Alberta campaign as a closing story rather than the bill.
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 “and it is the #NotInMyCity campaign,”Names a campaign against human trafficking, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “which was created to deal with the horrific problem of human trafficking.”About human trafficking, a subject the bill does not address.
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 seen the incredible ambassador Paul Brandt and heard his message in his song Alberta Bound.”About Paul Brandt and his music, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Extending beyond musical capabilities,”A remark about musical abilities, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “as he and his wife are true songbirds, they advocate for those who are the victims of human trafficking.”About the Brandts’ advocacy on human trafficking, not the bill.
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 should say each and every day, not only in my great province of Alberta,”Praises the member’s province rather than addressing the bill.
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 “but also across Canada and in this chamber, “We believe you” and “I believe you”.”Restates the believe-victims message generally without engaging the bill’s provisions.

Respect · 100

0 of 64 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 · 99

2 of 64 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.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “we must continue to address sexual misconduct”The commitment names no measure, date or success condition for the speaker’s own side.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “We have seen this time and time again”The claimed repeated pattern is asserted with no example or source offered.

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“a campaign created in 2015 by the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services”The Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services created the ‘I believe you’ campaign in 2015 to support victims of sexual assault.search
2“97% of sexual assaults go unreported”97% of sexual assaults go unreported.search
3“The previous Conservative government accepted all recommendations from the Deschamps report”The previous Conservative government accepted all recommendations from the Deschamps report on sexual harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces.search
4“two more reports from Supreme Court justices”Two reports on military justice or sexual misconduct were produced by former Supreme Court justices following the Deschamps report.search
5“most of the witnesses at the committee are asking that victims of military sexual assault be given the choice of what justice system they make their report to”Most witnesses at the Standing Committee on National Defence studying Bill C-11 asked that victims of military sexual assault be given the choice of which justice system to report to.search
6“Removing victim choice on how to report sexual offences”Bill C-11 removes victims’ choice of how to report sexual offences.search
7“the #NotInMyCity campaign”The #NotInMyCity campaign was created to address human trafficking.search
8“his song Alberta Bound”Paul Brandt is associated with the #NotInMyCity campaign and recorded the song ‘Alberta Bound’.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20