Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Gregor Robertson

Liberal on Housing 2026-09-21

101 words · 10 sentences · 10 clauses

Replying to Jacob Mantle (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, this summer, I hosted young Canadians to talk about planning and saving to buy their first home, but they feel they will never own a home. They are depressed. They are dejected. They are defeated. The Prime Minister promised he would build 500,000 new homes at speeds never seen, but last week, the Minister of Housing said that the government has committed to, not built, only 19,000 homes. The Conservative plan to save Canadians money on housing will tie federal dollars to faster permits and take the taxes off new homes. Minister, your plan is not working. Why not save Canadians money—”

Statement grade

B+

Average 81 / 100

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

Greeting 14%Claims 69%Positioning 11%Promise 6%

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

Mr. Speaker, Greeting · 14 wordsit is good to be back in the House and to see my colleagues.Greeting Claims · 39 wordsWe are absolutely focused on getting housing built for young Canadians and making sure they are not paying GST on their first-time home purchases.¹ This is a move that was not supported by the Conservatives across the way, unfortunately.² Positioning · 6 wordsThey should be consistent, at least.PositioningOff point Claims · 15 wordsRents are coming down across Canada. Average rents have been down for 23 straight months.³ Positioning · 5 wordsAffordability is coming our way.Positioning Claims · 16 wordsWe are focused on building more housing.Vague promise Build Canada Homes is rolling it out at pace.⁴ Promise · 6 wordsWe will continue to do so.Partly on pointVague promise

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 69

3 of 9 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 “it is good to be back in the House and to see my colleagues.”A greeting: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “They should be consistent, at least.”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 “Affordability is coming our way.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 75

4 of 9 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 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 “They should be consistent, at least.”An attack on the Conservatives’ consistency, not an answer on housing savings.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We are focused on building more housing.”A general statement of focus on building housing, not addressing why the plan is not working.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “Build Canada Homes is rolling it out at pace.”About the pace of Build Canada Homes generally, not the savings question asked.
Staying near the subject without addressing the matter at hand: what was asked, or what the bill, motion or speech is about.What the tags mean “We will continue to do so.”A general promise to continue, not addressing why the plan is not saving Canadians money.

Respect · 100

0 of 9 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 · 81

2 of 9 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 “We are focused on building more housing”A present-tense commitment with no measure, date or named action beyond the goal itself.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “We will continue to do so”A promise only to continue, with no actor beyond ‘we’, no date, measure or success condition.

Claims · 4

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“not paying GST on their first-time home purchases”First-time home buyers do not pay GST on their first home purchases under current government policy.search
2“not supported by the Conservatives across the way”Conservative MPs did not support the measure removing GST on first-time home purchases.search
3“Average rents have been down for 23 straight months”Average rents in Canada declined for 23 consecutive months as of September 2026.search
4“Build Canada Homes is rolling it out at pace”The Build Canada Homes programme is actively delivering housing projects.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20