Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Marjorie Michel

Liberal on Pharmacare 2026-04-23

102 words · 6 sentences · 6 clauses

Replying to Don Davies (NDP)

“Mr. Speaker, in the last election, the Prime Minister promised to protect pharmacare and sign agreements with all provinces and territories as quickly as possible. Despite those clear commitments, his government has failed to sign a single agreement. This week, P.E.I.’s health minister revealed the Liberals’ plan to scrap pharmacare entirely when current deals expire. Will the government provide funding in the spring economic update to protect pharmacare and expand it to all Canadians as they promised, or are Liberals breaking their commitment to public pharmacare?”

Statement grade

C–

Average 56 / 100

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

Procedure 12%Promise 50%Claims 38%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 12 wordslet me repeat what I always say whenever we talk about pharmacare.Procedure Promise · 28 wordsThe government remains committed to working with the provinces and territories to determine how best to support Canadians in the area of health care, based on their needs.Vague promise Claims · 39 wordsRegarding Prince Edward Island and the article my colleague referred to, we are not making any cuts.¹ These are programs that are set to end in the coming years.²Hidden agency The government has not made any cuts, quite the contrary.³ Promise · 23 wordsI will work with the Province of Prince Edward Island to see how to better support it when it comes to health care.Vague promise

At a glance

Lost points for
VagueMuch of this statement used imprecise wording, lacked details on timing or responsibility, or made broad claims without support.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 84

1 of 4 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 “let me repeat what I always say whenever we talk about pharmacare.”Procedure or throat-clearing: 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 · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

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.

Clarity · 27

3 of 4 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 “remains committed to working with the provinces and territories”A commitment with no date, measure, or success condition.
Wording that hides who did something, or who will.What the tags mean “programs that are set to end”The passive hides who decided or is ending the programs.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “to see how to better support it”A commitment with no date, funding amount, or measure of success.

Claims · 3

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“we are not making any cuts”The Canadian government is not making cuts to the pharmacare-related programs in Prince Edward Island that were referenced in the exchange.search
2“programs that are set to end in the coming years”The pharmacare programs at issue in Prince Edward Island are scheduled to end within the coming years.search
3“The government has not made any cuts”The Canadian federal government has not made any cuts to these pharmacare-related programs.search

Analysed on 2026-09-15