Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Yves Perron

Bloc Québécois on Government Business No. 9—Changes to Standing Orders 2026-04-23

231 words · 11 sentences · 15 clauses

Replying to Luc Berthold (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time the Liberals have played games to secure themselves a majority in the House. There have indeed been backroom deals in the past with certain individuals who chose to cross the floor. In fact, the by-elections had nothing to do with this outcome. Those seats were Liberal before and remain Liberal now. The Liberals bought themselves a majority and now they seem to want to buy themselves a majority on the committees. The Liberals even had an agreement in the past with the NDP that allowed them to manipulate the proceedings of the House to secure precisely that majority. It was not an official majority, and we sometimes managed to get the NDP to vote with us. However, this is the second time in two terms that the Liberals have played games with democracy. I would like to hear my colleague’s thoughts on that.”

Statement grade

C+

Average 68 / 100

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

Greeting 6%Positioning 21%Claims 38%Aside 20%Reasoning 14%

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

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 15 wordsI rarely have the opportunity to say so, but that is a really wonderful question.Greeting Positioning · 8 wordsMy colleague has raised a really good point, PositioningClaims · 24 wordsbecause this is indeed the second time that the results of a general election have been distorted. I think it is becoming a habit. Positioning · 40 wordsThose people make flowery speeches from balconies, with the sun shining and their hair blowing in the wind while they tell us that they are going to work with the opposition parties, that they are good people, blah, blah, blah.Positioning Claims · 64 wordsThen they return to the House and buy themselves a majority, either by securing the NDP’s vote on an ongoing basis, like they did during the previous Parliament—completely destroying the constructive work we were doing in the process—or like now, by bringing in floor crossers.¹² As I mentioned earlier, however, I am not sure that this majority is going to hold for three years. Aside · 47 wordsThe member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie could grow tired of seeing environmental initiatives scrapped. The member for Nunavut might realize that the Prime Minister leans more to the right than she knew. Perhaps the member for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong will discover that the Liberal Party is more left-leaning than she thought.Aside Reasoning · 33 wordsThese people may have changed their allegiance, but the values that drew them to their original political party run deep. These values continue to exist somewhere deep inside them, and they could resurface.Off point

At a glance

Lost points for
Little substanceMuch of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 43

7 of 15 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.

Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “I rarely have the opportunity to say so,”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “but that is a really wonderful question.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “My colleague has raised a really good point,”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 “Those people make flowery speeches from balconies, with the sun shining and their hair blowing in the wind while they tell us that they are going to work with the opposition parties, that they are good people, blah, blah, blah.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “The member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie could grow tired of seeing environmental initiatives scrapped.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “The member for Nunavut might realize that the Prime Minister leans more to the right than she knew.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Perhaps the member for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong will discover that the Liberal Party is more left-leaning than she thought.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 61

8 of 15 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.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “As I mentioned earlier, however, I am not sure that this majority is going to hold for three years.”It shifts to speculating whether the majority will last three years instead of addressing whether the Liberals play games with democracy.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “The member for Laurier—Sainte‑Marie could grow tired of seeing environmental initiatives scrapped.”It speculates about a specific member’s feelings on environmental policy, away from the question asked.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “The member for Nunavut might realize that the Prime Minister leans more to the right than she knew.”It speculates about another member’s reaction to the Prime Minister’s politics, not the question about democratic games.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Perhaps the member for Sarnia—Lambton—Bkejwanong will discover that the Liberal Party is more left-leaning than she thought.”It continues the aside about a member discovering the Liberal Party’s leanings rather than answering the question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “These people may have changed their allegiance,”It speculates about members’ changed allegiances without addressing the democratic gamesmanship raised.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “but the values that drew them to their original political party run deep.”It turns to the values that drew members to their original parties, a digression from the question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “These values continue to exist somewhere deep inside them,”It continues the speculation about those members’ hidden values rather than answering the question.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and they could resurface.”It concludes the speculation about values resurfacing, not the question about Liberal manipulation of democracy.

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 · 100

0 of 15 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 · 2

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“securing the NDP’s vote on an ongoing basis, like they did during the previous Parliament”During the previous Parliament (44th), the Liberals secured NDP support on an ongoing basis.search
2“like now, by bringing in floor crossers”MPs have recently crossed the floor to join the Liberal Party, contributing to its current majority in the 45th Parliament.search

Analysed on 2026-09-16