Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Luc Berthold

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

158 words · 11 sentences · 12 clauses

Replying to Alexis Deschênes (Bloc Québécois)

“Mr. Speaker, I would like my colleague’s thoughts on the following premise. We are seeing the attitude of this government, which recently secured a majority and will have an even stronger one once the new members are sworn in. We see that at the first opportunity, the government decided to ignore the opposition and not consult with it before introducing this motion. Today, the government refuses to rule out the idea of using a closure motion to get this motion passed. What does my colleague think this says about how this government is going to use its new majority?”

Statement grade

B–

Average 74 / 100

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

Greeting 4%Claims 84%Procedure 5%Positioning 6%

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

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 7 wordsmy colleague raised an extremely important point.Greeting Claims · 91 wordsCommittee composition is usually a collaborative decision involving the opposition parties. When a new government is elected, the parties meet and decide on the composition of committees. Now we have been told that it will no longer work that way because the government decided to add two members without consulting us to see if we were adding one, two or three or taking some away. We might have preferred to take some away rather than have the government add two. There was no collaboration. They even floated the possibility of closure.¹ Procedure · 8 wordsI know my colleague is fairly new here, ProcedureClaims · 42 wordsbut I remember, back when we had a Liberal government, it was one gag order after another.² He should get used to this.Off point If things go on like this, obviously the government will impose closure every time opposition members oppose its ideas.Unearned certainty Positioning · 10 wordsThe Liberals do not like anyone’s ideas but their own.PositioningOff pointUnearned certainty

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 78

3 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.

Greetings and pleasantries.What the tags mean “my colleague raised an extremely important point.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I know my colleague is fairly new here,”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 “The Liberals do not like anyone’s ideas but their own.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 70

3 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.

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 I remember, back when we had a Liberal government, it was one gag order after another.”It recounts the previous Liberal government’s record of gag orders rather than addressing the point put about this motion.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “He should get used to this.”A personal aside telling the member to get used to it, not an answer to 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 Liberals do not like anyone’s ideas but their own.”A political jab about the Liberals’ attitude that substitutes for answering the point put.

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 · 73

2 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.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “obviously the government will impose closure every time”The word ‘obviously’ asserts a prediction as self-evident without citing any source or basis.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “do not like anyone’s ideas but their own”A sweeping claim about the whole party’s attitude asserted with no evidence or source.

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“They even floated the possibility of closure.”The government indicated it might use a closure motion to pass the motion on changes to the Standing Orders.search
2“back when we had a Liberal government, it was one gag order after another.”The previous Liberal government frequently used closure or time allocation to end debate in the House of Commons.search

Analysed on 2026-09-16