Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Steeve Lavoie

Liberal on Building Canada Strong Act 2026-09-23

1048 words · 67 sentences · 77 clauses

Statement grade

Average 91 / 100

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

Procedure 13%Anecdote 4%Reasoning 33%Claims 42%Positioning 7%Promise 1%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 26 wordsmy story is almost finished. My colleague will be able to put it to good use and I will get back to Bill C-39 very soon.Procedure Anecdote · 28 wordsWhat the people at that organization told me is worth remembering. The second student job position really helped get volunteers some time off, time for their first-ever vacation.AnecdoteOff point Procedure · 7 wordsLet that sink in for a second.Procedure Anecdote · 14 wordsHaving one extra person made it possible for volunteers to take some vacation time.Anecdote Reasoning · 11 wordsWhat we do here has a real impact in our communities.Off point Procedure · 55 wordsI wanted to highlight that at the start of my speech today. Now, I would like to get back to Bill C-39, the building Canada strong act, under discussion today. I want to begin by referring to a book published in 2025, ¹which I am sure will call to mind Bill C-39 for my colleagues.Procedure Claims · 42 wordsIn the book Abundance, by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, one of the questions the authors ask is why a country as rich and technologically advanced as our southern neighbour currently struggles to build enough housing, infrastructure, energy and other essential goods.² Reasoning · 16 wordsTo some degree, I think we all see some similarity to the challenges facing Canada today. Claims · 43 wordsThe authors argue that part of the problem is the rules, procedures and institutions that, over time, have made delivering major projects much slower and much more difficult. They therefore advocate for placing greater emphasis on our ability to produce, build and deliver. Reasoning · 96 wordsIn short, this means shifting from a policy focused primarily on distributing resources to one that also seeks to increase supply, ramp up our production capacity and boost our ability to build. At this point, I think it is fair to draw a parallel between that analysis and what we are proposing in Bill C‑39 to build Canada strong. I am sure all of my colleagues have heard the old saying about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.Unearned certainty We need to do things differently. We need to think differently. Positioning · 54 wordsAnyone who believes we can keep doing exactly the same things and suddenly achieve different results is sticking their head in the sand. That is choosing inaction. That is choosing the status quo, and the status quo is a choice. Changing nothing is a choice. Leaving things the way they are is a choice.Positioning Reasoning · 13 wordsWe must move away from this mindset and regain our ability to build. Positioning · 12 wordsWe are capable of building more, with greater ambition, and more quickly.Positioning Claims · 111 wordsLet us take an example from our history: the St. Lawrence Seaway. Major construction work began in 1954, ³and the Seaway was officially opened to navigation in 1959.⁴ It took five years to build the Montreal-Lake Ontario section, ⁵which spans approximately 300 kilometres of waterways.⁶ It was not just a matter of digging a canal. It required building locks, constructing canals, erecting dams, carrying out major dredging work, modifying bridges and relocating infrastructure. Continuing westward, Montreal is about 600 kilometres from Lake Erie by waterway via Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal.⁷ The entire waterway network connecting the St. Lawrence to the heart of the Great Lakes stretches over 2,000 kilometres.⁸ Procedure · 7 wordsJust think about that for a moment.Procedure Claims · 48 wordsIn the 1950s, in just a few years, we were able to carry out one of the greatest infrastructure projects of our time, and we did a significant portion of the work right here at home in Canada. We built, we thought big, and we transformed our economy. Procedure · 10 wordsThe question we need to ask ourselves today is simple.Procedure Positioning · 8 wordsCan we still build with that same ambition?Positioning Claims · 28 wordsI believe that Bill C‑39 invites us to reflect on this question and, above all, to regain the ability to complete major projects for future generations of Canadians. Procedure · 7 wordsWhat does that mean in concrete terms?Procedure Claims · 74 wordsFirst, it means making our approval processes for major projects more predictable. These days, when a business, community or proponent wants to build a major project, they often have to navigate multiple processes and steps that might overlap and make the work more complex. It can take longer to get results. Bill C-39 proposes to better coordinate these processes so that decisions on projects requiring a federal permit can be made within one year.⁹ Procedure · 4 wordsLet me be clear.Procedure Reasoning · 34 wordsWe do not have to choose between upholding Canada’s strong environmental protections and streamlining the project review process. We can and must do both. We can be ambitious and rigorous at the same time. Procedure · 13 wordsI cannot help but immediately think of my region, the Quebec City region, ProcedureClaims · 66 wordsand specifically the Port of Québec, which plays an important role in our regional economy and our trade with the rest of the world. Bill C‑39 proposes to modernize the governance of Canadian ports, reduce certain administrative burdens and facilitate the digitization of trade.¹⁰ The bill also designates strategic trade corridors and establishes a transportation project office to better coordinate federal permits and advance priority projects.¹¹ Reasoning · 72 wordsA product manufactured in Quebec does not only create value when it leaves the factory. It must then be efficiently transported to a port, a railway or the border and on to new markets. An efficient supply chain is essential to enabling our businesses to grow and innovate. At a time when Canada is looking to diversify its trade and reduce its dependence on certain markets, this capability becomes even more important. Claims · 10 wordsWe have signed 20 trade agreements over the past year.¹² Promise · 6 wordsWe must now honour our commitments. Procedure · 10 wordsThis is what building Canada strong means in practical terms.Procedure Reasoning · 42 wordsIt means enabling a business to carry out a project. It means enabling a port to operate more efficiently. It means enabling our products to reach new markets. It means providing future generations with the infrastructure, jobs and opportunities they will need. Claims · 18 wordsCanada has the resources, the talent, the workers, the businesses and the communities capable of achieving great things. Reasoning · 63 wordsOur challenge is not knowing whether we have the capacity to build. Our challenge is equipping ourselves with the means to do just that, the means to realize our ambitions. We need to simplify where we can simplify, coordinate where we can coordinate better, protect what we need to protect. Above all, we need to rediscover our collective ability to build Canada strong.

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 71

25 of 30 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 “my story is almost finished.”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 “My colleague will be able to put it to good use and I will get back to Bill C-39 very soon.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “What the people at that organization told me is worth remembering.”An anecdote: it illustrates, it does not claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “The second student job position really helped get volunteers some time off, time for their first-ever vacation.”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 “Let that sink in for a second.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
A story that illustrates instead of making a point.What the tags mean “Having one extra person made it possible for volunteers to take some vacation time.”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 wanted to highlight that at the start of my speech today.”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 “Now, I would like to get back to Bill C-39, the building Canada strong act, under discussion today.”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 “I want to begin by referring to a book published in 2025,”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 “which I am sure will call to mind Bill C-39 for my colleagues.”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 “Anyone who believes we can keep doing exactly the same things and suddenly achieve different results is sticking their head in the sand.”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 “That is choosing inaction.”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 “That is choosing the status quo,”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 “and the status quo is a choice.”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 “Changing nothing is a choice.”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 “Leaving things the way they are is a choice.”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 “We are capable of building more, with greater ambition,”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 “and more quickly.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Just think about that for a moment.”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 “The question we need to ask ourselves today is simple.”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 “Can we still build with that same ambition?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “What does that mean in concrete terms?”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 “Let me be clear.”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 “I cannot help but immediately think of my region, the Quebec City region,”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 “This is what building Canada strong means in practical terms.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 98

4 of 30 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 bill 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 “What the people at that organization told me is worth remembering.”About an organization the speaker visited, not the bill.
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 second student job position really helped get volunteers some time off, time for their first-ever vacation.”About student jobs and volunteers’ vacations, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Having one extra person made it possible for volunteers to take some vacation time.”A continuation of the volunteering anecdote, not the bill.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “What we do here has a real impact in our communities.”A general remark on members’ community impact, not the bill.

Respect · 100

0 of 30 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 · 96

1 of 30 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 “I am sure all of my colleagues have heard”It asserts what all colleagues have heard as fact, with no source offered.

Claims · 12

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“a book published in 2025”The book ‘Abundance’ by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson was published in 2025.search
2“why a country as rich and technologically advanced as our southern neighbour currently struggles to build enough housing, infrastructure, energy and other essential goods”In ‘Abundance’, Klein and Thompson ask why the United States struggles to build enough housing, infrastructure and energy.search
3“Major construction work began in 1954”Major construction work on the St. Lawrence Seaway began in 1954.search
4“the Seaway was officially opened to navigation in 1959”The St. Lawrence Seaway was officially opened to navigation in 1959.search
5“It took five years to build the Montreal-Lake Ontario section”The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway took five years to build.search
6“approximately 300 kilometres of waterways”The Montreal-Lake Ontario section of the St. Lawrence Seaway spans approximately 300 kilometres of waterways.search
7“Montreal is about 600 kilometres from Lake Erie by waterway via Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal”Montreal is about 600 kilometres from Lake Erie by waterway via Lake Ontario and the Welland Canal.search
8“over 2,000 kilometres”The waterway network connecting the St. Lawrence to the heart of the Great Lakes stretches over 2,000 kilometres.search
9“decisions on projects requiring a federal permit can be made within one year”Bill C-39 proposes that decisions on projects requiring a federal permit can be made within one year.search
10“modernize the governance of Canadian ports, reduce certain administrative burdens and facilitate the digitization of trade”Bill C-39 proposes to modernize the governance of Canadian ports, reduce certain administrative burdens and facilitate the digitization of trade.search
11“designates strategic trade corridors and establishes a transportation project office”Bill C-39 designates strategic trade corridors and establishes a transportation project office to better coordinate federal permits.search
12“We have signed 20 trade agreements over the past year”Canada signed 20 trade agreements over the past year (as of September 2026).search

Analysed on 2026-10-20