Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Steven MacKinnon

Liberal on Transportation 2026-09-24

90 words · 4 sentences · 6 clauses

Replying to Jenny Kwan (NDP)

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians are clear that Canada is not for sale. The Liberals claim they are not selling off Canada’s assets, but the doublespeak is deafening. The Prime Minister says he is not privatizing airports, yet he is inviting private investors to take over their operations, collect massive profits and make travel more expensive. In other words, it is privatization. The minister says ports will not be privatized, but in reality, they are opening the door to every aspect of port operations to private investors. Will the minister just admit that terms like “financial flexibility” and “modernization” are just code for privatization?”

Statement grade

B+

Average 80 / 100

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

Claims 71%Thanks 29%

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

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 16 wordsas the member knows, she lives in a community that hosts Canada’s largest port by far, ¹Partly on pointThanks · 26 wordsand we want to thank the hard-working men and women at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and everyone who works in the port of Vancouver ecosystem.Thanks Claims · 48 wordsPort lands are just that. They are federally owned lands run by port authorities that report, obviously, through the Minister of Transport to Parliament, ²and they lease that land to private operators.³ It has been that way since everyone can remember and will continue to work that way.Unearned certainty

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 65

1 of 3 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.

Thanks and tributes.What the tags mean “and we want to thank the hard-working men and women at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and everyone who works in the port of Vancouver ecosystem.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 84

1 of 3 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.

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 “as the member knows, she lives in a community that hosts Canada’s largest port by far,”About the member’s community and its port, not whether the terms mean privatization.

Respect · 100

0 of 3 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 · 71

1 of 3 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 “since everyone can remember”Appeals to what ‘everyone’ recalls instead of any source for the claim about how port lands have always been run.

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“Canada’s largest port”The Port of Vancouver is Canada’s largest port by a wide margin.search
2“federally owned lands run by port authorities that report”Canadian port lands are federally owned and administered by port authorities that report to the Minister of Transport and ultimately Parliament.search
3“they lease that land to private operators”Port authorities in Canada lease port lands to private operators.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20