Analysis · Debate reply · beta

François-Philippe Champagne

Liberal on Business of Supply 2026-05-26

91 words · 5 sentences · 7 clauses

Replying to Melissa Lantsman (Conservative)

“Mr. Chair, I can see that the minister does not want to admit it or answer my question, so I will talk about foreign direct investment. The minister frequently celebrates Canada’s foreign direct investment numbers, but he knows, as finance minister, that all of those numbers are not created equal. Can he tell the House what share of Canada’s inbound foreign direct investment over the last decade came from mergers and acquisitions, from foreign firms buying Canadian firms?”

Statement grade

76 / 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.

Procedure 9%Claims 57%Positioning 13%Promise 21%

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

Mr. Chair, Procedure · 8 wordsI would be happy to quote this again: ProcedureClaims · 26 words“Canada Leads the G7 in Direct Investment Inflows Per Capita”.¹ In fact, it is nearly double that of the United States on a per capita basis.² Positioning · 12 wordsInvestors, like my colleague, understand that Canada is the place to invest.Positioning Claims · 26 wordsThat is why we have seen record investment in 2025, ³and that is why we are seeing more and more firms looking to invest in Canada. Promise · 19 wordsThat is why we are going to have an investment summit in September, to attract capital to our country.⁴Partly on 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 · 74

2 of 8 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 “I would be happy to quote this again:”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 “Investors, like my colleague, understand that Canada is the place to invest.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 46

6 of 8 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 ““Canada Leads the G7 in Direct Investment Inflows Per Capita”.”Cites a general G7 inflows ranking, not the share of investment from mergers and acquisitions.
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 fact, it is nearly double that of the United States on a per capita basis.”Compares per capita inflows with the United States, not the composition of inbound investment 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 “Investors, like my colleague, understand that Canada is the place to invest.”Says Canada is a good place to invest, without addressing the mergers and acquisitions share.
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 “That is why we have seen record investment in 2025,”Points to record investment totals, not the breakdown between mergers and acquisitions and other investment.
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 that is why we are seeing more and more firms looking to invest in Canada.”Speaks generally about firms looking to invest, not the specific share asked for.
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 “That is why we are going to have an investment summit in September, to attract capital to our country.”Announces a future investment summit, which does not give the mergers and acquisitions share.

Respect · 100

0 of 8 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 8 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 · 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““Canada Leads the G7 in Direct Investment Inflows Per Capita”.”A source titled ‘Canada Leads the G7 in Direct Investment Inflows Per Capita’ says Canada leads the G7 in direct investment inflows per capita.search
2“nearly double that of the United States on a per capita basis”Canada’s direct investment inflows per capita are nearly double those of the United States.search
3“record investment in 2025”Canada saw record investment in 2025.search
4“an investment summit in September”Canada’s government plans to hold an investment summit in September 2026 to attract capital.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20