Analysis · Debate question · beta

Sébastien Lemire

Bloc Québécois on Government Orders 2026-06-09

219 words · 9 sentences · 16 clauses

Following a speech by Michelle Rempel Garner (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, in tribute to my colleague, I will share with folks a couple of lessons I have learned in my time. The first is that the power and responsibility granted to a member of Parliament from the centre of a political party are never greater than the power and responsibility granted by our constituents, and the first and foremost role of an MP is to hold the government to account. On that point, I have watched our colleague do that even while sitting in the governing party’s caucus, and that takes a spine. Our colleague has introduced bold private member’s legislation that started national conversations and that pushed his party in Parliament to take clear positions on critical issues. Parliament works only when each of us remembers who sent us here. In that, Parliament needs much more envelope pushing and much less quiet complacency. My hope, as our colleague takes his leave of the House, is that the spirit he demonstrated over his decade of service here takes root, with a caveat. Here is one other lesson I have learned in Parliament. In order to get anything done for our constituents, we have to build consensus. Oftentimes in Parliament, lesson number one and lesson number two are in direct conflict with each other. How do we advance a policy on behalf of our constituency if our party does not want to embrace it, and how do we convince colleagues that our solution or our leadership is in their best interest? The answer to all these questions is humility, patience, persistence and self-discipline. Of all of the human virtues, these qualities are hardest to master, and there is no harder place to learn them than in front of the screens of millions of Canadians while sitting in the pressure cooker that is the Ottawa bubble as an elected leader. I see my colleague. I know that my colleague has always had his heart with the people who elected him, and as he leaves the House, colleague to colleague, I wish him this blessing: continuing the journey to find balance with those lessons, which admittedly is something I have to remind myself to fixate on every day. I also want to thank him for taking risks, pushing himself and earning the right to say that he has walked that path, which frankly few people in this place actually do. In his future endeavours, may he be known as a consensus-building maverick. For that matter, for the sake of our nation, I wish that for all of us.”

Statement grade

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Not graded

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

Thanks 27%Anecdote 29%Procedure 7%Claims 17%The question 20%

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

Mr. Speaker, Thanks · 33 wordsit is sad for me to have to say this to my colleague from Beaches—East York, whom I knew and particularly appreciated at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology for several years.Thanks Anecdote · 47 wordsFirst, if his wife is in the gallery, I would like to take the liberty of telling her that she and my colleague have a lovely kitchen, which we have had the pleasure of seeing many times in committee, and that they also have very beautiful children.Anecdote Thanks · 13 wordsWhat I will take away from my colleague is his spirit of independence.Thanks Anecdote · 17 wordsIndependence obviously resonates with me very much. That is one of my motivations for being in politics.Anecdote Procedure · 16 wordsI actually wanted to ask him about that, and he talked about it in his speech.Procedure Claims · 37 wordsIndeed, for me, and just like the member for Calgary Nose Hill or the former NDP member for Windsor West, when we were on the Standing Committee on Industry, we knew that we had truly independent members. The question · 43 wordsAs for my colleague’s legacy in the House, I would like to ask him the following question: If we were to create the Nathaniel Erskine-Smith index to measure MPs’ degree of independence from their party line, how would that index look right now? Thanks · 13 wordsI want to thank Nate, and I hope to see him again soon.Thanks

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 31

12 of 12 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 “it is sad for me to have to say this to my colleague from Beaches—East York, whom I knew and particularly appreciated at the Standing Committee on Industry and Technology for several years.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “First,”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “if his wife is in the gallery, I would like to take the liberty of telling her that she and my colleague have a lovely kitchen,”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 we have had the pleasure of seeing many times in committee,”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 that they also have very beautiful children.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “What I will take away from my colleague is his spirit of independence.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Independence obviously resonates with me very much.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “That is one of my motivations for being in politics.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I actually wanted to ask him about that,”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 “and he talked about it in his speech.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “I want to thank Nate,”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.
Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “and I hope to see him again soon.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Respect · 100

0 of 12 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 12 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 · 0

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

No checkable claims.

Analysed on 2026-10-20