“Madam Speaker, I understand that my colleague’s roots are in the farm fields of Portage—Lisgar, just as mine are from those in Chatham-Kent—Leamington. We both share professional experience in ag organizations prior to our parliamentary life here. Where we diverge, however, is that his daughter is younger than both of my granddaughters, but that is not for debate today. On Tuesday, we debated our opposition day motion on diesel pricing in the House. I talked to my brother who had been harvesting tomatoes and soybeans yesterday, as well as today. His diesel costs are up 84%. With my colleague’s knowledge of how our food chain value works, could he share how 84% higher diesel prices from a year ago are impacting the lives of his constituents every day?”
Statement grade
A–
The average of Signal, Relevance, Respect and Clarity.
Average 89 / 100
A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.
Thanks 3%Reasoning 27%Claims 60%Positioning 10%
This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.
Madam Speaker, Thanks · 8 wordsI thank the member for the kind words.ThanksReasoning · 13 wordsIt is a huge challenge, because people do not understand farming at scale.Claims · 35 wordsIf we are running a combine right now, and have a particularly late harvest in parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, we are running at $250 an hour in diesel running all day with multiple combines.1Positioning · 14 wordsThat is our profit at the end of the year going up in smoke.PositioningClaims · 47 wordsThis is not something that can be eaten, particularly by grain producers.The price is the price and it is stubbornly low.Inputs for fertilizer and every other input throughout the value chain in creating that crop has been very high in the lead-up to that harvest.Positioning · 12 wordsThis is a real dagger in the profitability of our family farms.PositioningClaims · 19 wordsWe must remember we are a family farming nation.Of all the farms in Canada, 97% are family farms.2Reasoning · 55 wordsIt turns out that anybody who lives in a rural area knows that when our farmers have a good year our communities have a good year because of the donations and purchases made across our community.Unearned certaintyThat is evident when our farmers are having a good year, and that is why it is so vital.Claims · 49 wordsIt is a shame the government did not support our important motion on diesel yesterday to try to lower costs not just for farmers, 3but for all of the truckers who are transporting that food and every other processed good to grocery store shelves for Canadians across this country.
