Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Pierre Poilievre

Conservative on Business of Supply 2026-05-26

120 words · 8 sentences · 10 clauses

Replying to Gabriel Ste-Marie (Bloc Québécois)

“Mr. Speaker, the Conservative leader is proposing to lower fuel taxes, but the Liberals already did that more than a month ago by reducing the excise tax by 10¢. We saw that the price at the pump dropped temporarily, but then refinery margins rose by more than 10¢, filling the gap and leaving us with an unchanged price at the pump and a deficit that has grown by $2.4 billion. What the Conservative leader is proposing today is to lower taxes even further. We can expect the same behaviour from the oil companies, which will increase their profit margins, and we will end up with an even larger deficit. This Prime Minister is running deficits twice as big as Justin Trudeau’s. Why would we implement measures that increase the deficit so much?”

Statement grade

75 / 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.

Claims 59%Positioning 30%Reasoning 11%

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

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 19 wordsmy colleague is right: This Liberal Prime Minister has doubled Justin Trudeau’s deficit.¹ It is twice as high now.² Positioning · 36 wordsNo one thought it possible that anyone could spend more irresponsibly than Justin Trudeau, but this Prime Minister has managed to do just that. He has been wrong about every economic problem for the past decade.Positioning Claims · 52 wordsI have already listed five or six different government expenditures that we can eliminate to reduce the cost of government and bring prices down by cutting taxes. Apart from during COVID‑19, this government is spending more on the economy than any government since 1996.³ This is the biggest, largest government since 1996.⁴ Reasoning · 13 wordsWe can cut government costs to lower the cost of living for Canadians.Partly on point

At a glance

Lost points for
Didn't answerNone of this reply addressed the specific point raised or the topic under debate.
Echo ×10“The Prime Minister doubled Justin Trudeau's deficit.” Said 10 times by 10 members.Every time it was said

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 64

3 of 13 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 “No one thought it possible that anyone could spend more irresponsibly than Justin Trudeau,”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 “but this Prime Minister has managed to do just that.”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 “He has been wrong about every economic problem for the past decade.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 45

10 of 13 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.

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 “my colleague is right:”Agrees with the deficit point raised but does not answer why the tax cut should proceed.
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 Liberal Prime Minister has doubled Justin Trudeau’s deficit.”Confirms the deficit comparison raised in the question but offers no answer on the proposed measure.
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 twice as high now.”Restates the deficit figure without addressing the question’s challenge to the tax cut.
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 “No one thought it possible that anyone could spend more irresponsibly than Justin Trudeau,”Commentary on the Prime Minister’s spending, not an answer on the proposed measure.
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 this Prime Minister has managed to do just that.”More on the Prime Minister’s spending record, not the refinery margin or deficit concern raised.
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 “He has been wrong about every economic problem for the past decade.”A broad attack on the Prime Minister’s economic record, not an answer to the 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 “I have already listed five or six different government expenditures that we can eliminate to reduce the cost of government and bring prices down by cutting taxes.”Restates the member’s own spending-cut approach without addressing the deficit concern.
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 “Apart from during COVID‑19, this government is spending more on the economy than any government since 1996.”A spending statistic on government size, not the question about tax cuts and the deficit.
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 is the biggest, largest government since 1996.”A claim about government size, not the refinery margin or deficit concern raised.
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 can cut government costs to lower the cost of living for Canadians.”Returns to the motion’s own case without answering why the deficit impact is acceptable.

Respect · 100

0 of 13 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 13 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 · 1 repeated line

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

“The Prime Minister doubled Justin Trudeau's deficit.”Said 10 times by 10 members.Every time it was said

Claims · 4

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“This Liberal Prime Minister has doubled Justin Trudeau’s deficit.”Canada’s deficit under the current Prime Minister is double the size of Justin Trudeau’s deficits.search
2“It is twice as high now.”Canada’s current federal deficit is twice as high as Justin Trudeau’s.search
3“spending more on the economy than any government since 1996”Excluding COVID-19, the current Canadian government is spending more on the economy than any government since 1996.search
4“This is the biggest, largest government since 1996.”Canada’s federal government is the biggest it has been since 1996.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20