Analysis · Question Period answer · beta

Jennifer McKelvie

Liberal on The Economy 2026-09-25

97 words · 5 sentences · 6 clauses

Replying to Arnold Viersen (Conservative)

“Mr. Speaker, Steve Van Raalte in my riding texted me. He is a heavy-duty mechanic who is frustrated with the price of diesel. It has been cutting into his bottom line. The Liberals are out of touch, and Canadians like Steve are out of money. There are at least two companies in Alberta that are working to develop diesel fuel out of natural gas, and this would reduce our reliance on American diesel fuel, yet because of the Liberals’ lost decade, banks will not fund them, insurance companies do not insure them and there is zero support from the Liberals. Will the Liberal government adopt our Conservative action plan so Steve can finally afford diesel fuel?”

Statement grade

B–

74 / 100, held down by Relevance

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

Claims 91%Promise 9%

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

Mr. Speaker, Claims · 88 wordsit is stories like Steve’s that have compelled us to act on housing affordability in this country. That is why we have launched Build Canada Homes to build affordable housing at scale across the country.¹ That is why we have increased our rebate for the GST, working in provinces like Ontario and others to bring those costs down.² That is why we are investing in infrastructure, housing-enabling infrastructure, that reduces development charges. This is about ensuring that, whether someone rents, buys or pays a mortgage, affordability is improving, Promise · 9 wordsand we are going to continue in this regard.Partly on pointVague promise

At a glance

Lost points for
Didn't answerNone of this answer addressed the specific question that was asked.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 100

0 of 7 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.

Nothing lost points.

Relevance · 44

6 of 7 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 “it is stories like Steve’s that have compelled us to act on housing affordability in this country.”About acting on housing affordability generally, not the diesel fuel costs or plan adoption asked about.
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 “That is why we have launched Build Canada Homes to build affordable housing at scale across the country.”About a housing construction program, not the diesel affordability 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 “That is why we have increased our rebate for the GST, working in provinces like Ontario and others to bring those costs down.”About GST rebates on housing costs, not the diesel fuel costs or plan raised in the question.
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 “That is why we are investing in infrastructure, housing-enabling infrastructure, that reduces development charges.”About housing infrastructure investment, not the diesel affordability 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 “This is about ensuring that, whether someone rents, buys or pays a mortgage, affordability is improving,”About housing affordability for renters and buyers, not the diesel costs the question raised.
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 “and we are going to continue in this regard.”A general pledge to continue housing measures, not an answer on the diesel question asked.

Respect · 100

0 of 7 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 · 87

1 of 7 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 going to continue in this regard”A commitment to continue with no measure, date or success condition named.

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“we have launched Build Canada Homes”The federal government has launched the Build Canada Homes programme to build affordable housing at scale across the country.search
2“we have increased our rebate for the GST”The federal government has increased its GST rebate, working with provinces including Ontario to lower housing-related costs.search

Analysed on 2026-10-20