Mark Gerretsen

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 120 wordsthis is literally what the response was that I got from AI about the motion. Word for word, it said, “This motion is built for maximum rhetorical punch, not factual or analytical strength. The motion collapses complex economic indicators into a simplistic, worse-than-the-G7 narrative, cherry-picks metrics without context and demands an impossible remedy that has no coherent policy meaning.” I hear my friend from Saskatchewan across the way criticizing AI. I would remind him to tread lightly in this area, given the fact that I am pretty certain at least 70% to 80% of the questions asked during question period by the Conservatives are generated by AI, before he goes down that path of trying to be critical of it. Positioning · 16 wordsI can understand why he does not like listening to what was generated as a response, PositioningClaims · 8 wordsbut it is the reality of the situation.Unearned certainty Positioning · 45 wordsThe real irony is not that AI spit out the obvious and what everybody already knows.Unearned certainty What it really comes down to is that this is exactly what Canadians are feeling right now in watching the Leader of the Opposition’s response to what has happened.PositioningOff point Claims · 124 wordsLet us just take ourselves back to Friday morning when Statistics Canada released information that we were in a technical recession by a declining growth of, listen to this, negative 0.03%.¹ We are talking about a really small percentage. The Leader of the Opposition jumped on this news like it was the biggest gift he has ever received. He was so gleeful about it. He gathered whoever he could from his caucus who remained here on a Friday; Partly on pointthey usually disappear halfway through question period on a Thursday.Off point He dragged them out in front of this building, lined them up behind himself at 9:30 a.m. and gave a press conference with a gigantic smile on his face. He was so excited by this news. Positioning · 29 wordsImagine being a member of this House, one of the 343 members, let alone the Leader of the Opposition, ²and taking such joy in knowing that Canadians are suffering?Positioning Claims · 8 wordsThat is exactly what we saw from him.Partly on point Procedure · 14 wordsThat is not even where it ended, because it got even worse than that.Procedure Claims · 88 wordsRightly so, a reporter from The Hill Times asked the Leader of the Opposition, on the topic of the economy, “Might you be going a little too far with this by suggesting that this is a massive, colossal economic situation?” The Leader of the Opposition, the member for Battle River—Crowfoot, started laughing at the reporter and said, “Of course you are making excuses for the Prime Minister.³ What outlet are you from?” The reporter said The Hill Times, and the Conservative leader said, “Oh, yeah, The Hill Times.” Positioning · 30 wordsWhat I find so utterly amazing is that Conservatives, much less the Leader of the Opposition, are unable to recognize that their strategy may have been really effective in 2024, PositioningClaims · 33 wordsbut with everything going on in the world right now, with the way that the U.S. is positioning itself against us right now and is treating us like an economic enemy at times, Off pointPositioning · 87 wordsand with the sense of incredible pride that Canadians have in wanting to stick together and fight this together, the Conservatives still think that it is a winning strategy to talk down Canadians, to talk down the Prime Minister and to talk down the position we are in.Partly on point I can wonder all day long about why the Conservatives think this is an effective strategy, why they are doing this and why they have not realized that their 2024 tactics are just falling on deaf ears right now.PositioningOff point Procedure · 26 wordsPeople do not even have to listen to me. They do not even have to consider the fact that I am bringing this to their attention.Procedure Claims · 75 wordsThey can just look at the fact that it is reflected in the polling. It is reflected in the decision in the last election.⁴ Canadians do not want the Conservatives. They do not want that rhetoric. They do not want that style of approach. They do not want a Leader of the Opposition who is going to laugh at reporters, challenge what outlet they are with and then dismiss them. Canadians do not want that. The ask · 38 wordsI really wish that my colleagues across the way, who keep heckling me right now, would take a moment to reflect on the fact that maybe there is a little bit of truth to what I am saying. Positioning · 43 wordsMaybe the Canadian people would like to see humility and would like to see a Leader of the Opposition who actually takes the time to reflect on the world that people live in and does not jump at an opportunity to celebrate it, PositioningOff pointClaims · 20 wordsso that he can say “I told him so” to the Prime Minister on what amounts to a statistical error.Partly on pointMotive imputed An hon. member: Oh, oh! Hon. Mark Gerretsen: Procedure · 11 wordsMr. Speaker, it is negative 0.03% of growth. I am sorry.Procedure Positioning · 31 wordsIt is catastrophic. Look at them. They are doing it right now. They absolutely refuse.Off point They want to make this the biggest, boldest and absolutely worst thing that could possibly happen.Positioning Claims · 42 wordsThat is the narrative they are going with.Partly on point I am actually not surprised, because they are just parroting what their leader did on Friday. He went outside this building, Off pointand he took the opportunity to celebrate the position that Canada was in.Partly on point Positioning · 12 wordsConservatives can keep doing this. They can do it all day long, PositioningClaims · 31 wordsbut I am telling them right now that this is not selling to the Canadian public. The Canadian public is not buying this. By the way, the Conservatives did this before. Positioning · 54 wordsWhat situation did they set up for themselves? Their approach, always, is not asking what they are going to do to improve the lives of Canadians. Their approach is to make the other guy look bad, attack the other guy and beat him or her into submission so that they look like the champions.PositioningOff point Procedure · 2 wordsGuess what?Procedure Claims · 46 wordsThey tried that in 2024. To a certain degree, they were kind of effective at it, but it did not materialize into their forming government, did it? It did not. They just ended up coming right back. It certainly did not result in Conservatives forming government.⁵Off point Positioning · 24 wordsThe key thing they are missing is that, rather than just attack, attack, attack, they have to provide solutions. They have to provide alternatives.PositioningPartly on point Claims · 21 wordsI have said this so many times in the House. I am actually trying to give them political advice right now. Anecdote · 23 wordsPeople back in my war room are probably asking why I will not shut up, because I am telling them what to do, AnecdoteClaims · 100 wordsbut it is true. I am just trying to help them because I feel like they really, genuinely need it. The reality is that Conservatives are going to keep doing this over and over and over.Unearned certainty It is not going to produce anything for them because the reality of the situation is that Canadians are looking for parliamentarians, especially in the world that we live in right now, to work together, to collaborate together, to come up with ideas together and certainly not to celebrate potential downfalls, Off pointUnearned certaintywhich is what the Leader of the Opposition and his caucus are doing.Partly on point