Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Ellis Ross

Conservative on National Strategy on Flood and Drought Forecasting Act 2026-10-09

1194 words · 69 sentences · 86 clauses

Statement grade

A–

Average 88 / 100

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

Claims 72%Procedure 6%Reasoning 12%Positioning 5%Aside 1%The ask 4%

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

Madam Speaker, Claims · 16 wordswe are here talking about Bill C-241, the national strategy on flood and drought forecasting act. Procedure · 16 wordsWe are going to hear speeches about how great this is and how needed it is.Procedure Claims · 50 wordsWe agree on this side. This is definitely needed, given the times that we are living through. To be fair to Canadians, this is a strategy that promises to do something in the future; it is not something definitive today that we would be providing Canadians in terms of forecasting. Procedure · 26 wordsBefore I begin the bulk of my speech, I want to talk about the forecasting that is currently done in Canada, through Environment Canada, for example.Procedure Claims · 65 wordsThey do a pretty good job. They do an excellent job, especially when we are talking about the Canadian Coast Guard and the VHF marine system forecasting. There are many mariners on the west coast of British Columbia and across Canada who depend on its service. It really does mean life or death in some of the most treacherous areas of our waters across Canada, Reasoning · 14 wordsso we know full well what it means to be forecasting for future events. Claims · 94 wordsUnfortunately though, Environment Canada discontinued its weather radio service on March 16 due to increasing costs and the need for more viable alternatives such as smart phones and weather apps.¹ The weather radio network reached 90% of the Canadian population, ²but it will be replaced by other services like Alert Ready and the WeatherCAN mobile app.³ It will continue to provide timely weather information, but this does not talk about those people who do not have that technology, do not have Internet service or do not understand this information age we are living in. Reasoning · 21 wordsWhen I think about that, I see that we would be cutting back on an essential service that people depend on. Claims · 89 wordsIn today’s day and age, we are talking about mariners, but we are also talking about farmers who have to predict the weather for their crops. It would be such a cost-saving measure, when we are already hearing speeches about the damage inflicted on Canadians from weather events, the cost to citizens of damage to houses and the cost of damage to infrastructure. As such, we are going to do a budget cut to get rid of weather radio service, but this budget cut is going to affect Canadians. Procedure · 4 wordsOn the other hand, ProcedurePositioning · 12 wordswhere is Canada sending its money in light of these budget cuts?Positioning Claims · 7 wordsA large portion goes to foreign aid. Positioning · 6 wordsThere is something wrong with that.PositioningOff point Claims · 43 wordsCitizens are depending on services like weather radio service, forecasting models that are currently in place for even just the simple matter of going to get groceries, Partly on pointbut the government decided to cut those services and send the money overseas to foreign governments.Off point Procedure · 13 wordsOne thing in particular strikes me as way beyond unusual and uncalled for: ProcedureClaims · 4 wordsforeign aid to China. Positioning · 8 wordsI never imagined China would need foreign aid.Positioning Claims · 173 wordsThis is a country that is turning into an energy superpower in its own right, not with political promises, but they are doing it. They are building some of the largest dams in the world to get off the reliance on crude oil and diesel. They actually started buying up crude oil supplies, given this diesel crisis that the globe is facing, and they have the money to do it. They have the capacity to store this crude oil. At the same time, they started restricting diesel exports. They provide a lot of diesel for the rest of the world, but they have the money and the reserves to basically do that for their own country. In the meantime, Canada is sending them foreign aid. It should almost be the reverse, given our deficit, given our debt and given the fact that two million Canadians are visiting food banks and 34% of them are children.⁴ One in four of the people visiting a food bank is a working person who cannot afford groceries.⁵Off point Positioning · 21 wordsWhy are we cutting essential services like weather forecasting when we are sending money to China to help out poor China?PositioningPartly on point Claims · 4 wordsIt is not poor.Off point Procedure · 8 wordsI know we are talking about weather forecasting.Procedure Claims · 45 wordsI know a lot about it in terms of what is happening in B.C., for example, with the forest fires that are devastating our communities, devastating our infrastructure and burning down houses, with entire communities being evacuated. I was there during the floods in Abbotsford.⁶ Positioning · 4 wordsWhat is our solution?Positioning Claims · 41 wordsLet us forecast the next one. Let us propose a study that will take us two years. Let us start planning a study right now so we can plan something in the future, despite the impacts that are happening right now. Aside · 17 wordsTo the citizens watching this right now on CPAC, all those millions of people, I am sorry, AsideClaims · 68 wordsbut this is not an announcement that something is going to happen today or tomorrow. It is going to take two years for the government to develop a strategy and then present it and debate it.⁷ Then maybe the government will come up with something to help with forest fires. The conversation outside this House at least, in earnest, is that we should be doing more to adapt. Positioning · 5 wordsIt is a great conversation, PositioningClaims · 6 wordsbut that is all it is. Positioning · 5 wordsIt is just coffee talk.Positioning Claims · 74 wordsWe are not talking about managing our forests in B.C. to lessen the risk of forest fires. The federal government has a role to play in that. I know government members will get up to say that it is in provincial jurisdiction, but the federal government does have jurisdiction over Crown lands in the provinces across Canada. It has jurisdiction over certain properties. Also, through the Indian Act, it has jurisdiction on reserve lands.⁸ Procedure · 7 wordsThis is okay. It is all right.Procedure Claims · 7 wordsI sat on the committee as well.Off point Reasoning · 40 wordsHowever, the focus, I think, should be to develop a more robust plan for forecasting for Canadians, especially farmers and mariners, but also to start talking about adaptation and start helping the people who are being afflicted by these disasters. Claims · 35 wordsFor the most part, a lot of what we are talking about here is already being done at a very foundational level, whether we are talking about insurance companies, Environment Canada or the Coast Guard. Reasoning · 21 wordsCollaboration among provinces, governments, municipalities and first nations should not have to be legislated. People should just pick up a phone. Claims · 24 wordsWe know what the problem is. We have local knowledge. We have municipal knowledge. We have provincial knowledge. Everybody is facing the same issue. Reasoning · 19 wordsWe do not have to spend two years studying this, only to then try to draft up a strategy. Claims · 12 wordsEverybody wants a solution, but it has to be a wholesome solution. Reasoning · 26 wordsWe cannot just pick something that is not going to help Canadians with what they are facing today and what they are going to face tomorrow. The ask · 44 wordsAs to budgeting, we have to take a serious look at that. We have to start limiting foreign aid and keeping a lot of that money so we can help Canadians in every situation, whether we are talking about affordability, flooding or forest fires.Partly on point

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 83

15 of 39 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 “We are going to hear speeches about how great this is and how needed it is.”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 “Before I begin the bulk of my speech, I want to talk about the forecasting that is currently done in Canada, through Environment Canada, for example.”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 “On the other hand,”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 “where is Canada sending its money in light of these budget cuts?”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 “There is something wrong with that.”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 “One thing in particular strikes me as way beyond unusual and uncalled for:”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 “I never imagined China would need foreign aid.”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 “Why are we cutting essential services like weather forecasting when we are sending money to China to help out poor China?”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 “I know we are talking about weather forecasting.”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 “What is our solution?”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “To the citizens watching this right now on CPAC, all those millions of people, I am sorry,”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “It is a great conversation,”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 “It is just coffee talk.”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 “This is okay.”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 “It is all right.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 69

24 of 39 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 “where is Canada sending its money in light of these budget cuts?”About where Canada sends its money generally, not flood and drought forecasting.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “A large portion goes to foreign aid.”About foreign aid, which the bill does not touch.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “There is something wrong with that.”A comment on foreign aid, not on the strategy proposed.
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 “Citizens are depending on services like weather radio service, forecasting models that are currently in place for even just the simple matter of going to get groceries,”Cites citizens’ reliance on forecasting, but in service of the foreign aid complaint.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “but the government decided to cut those services and send the money overseas to foreign governments.”About cuts and sending money overseas, not the bill’s strategy.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “foreign aid to China.”About foreign aid to China, not flood and drought forecasting.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “I never imagined China would need foreign aid.”About China’s need for aid, which the bill does not touch.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “This is a country that is turning into an energy superpower in its own right, not with political promises,”About China as an energy superpower, not the forecasting strategy.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “but they are doing it.”About China’s energy build-out, 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 “They are building some of the largest dams in the world to get off the reliance on crude oil and diesel.”About Chinese dams and oil reliance, outside the bill’s subject.
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 actually started buying up crude oil supplies, given this diesel crisis that the globe is facing,”About China’s crude oil purchases, not forecasting.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and they have the money to do it.”About China’s finances, 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 “They have the capacity to store this crude oil.”About China’s oil storage capacity, 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 “At the same time, they started restricting diesel exports.”About China’s diesel export restrictions, outside the bill’s subject.
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 provide a lot of diesel for the rest of the world,”About China’s diesel exports, not forecasting.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “but they have the money and the reserves to basically do that for their own country.”About China’s reserves, 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 “In the meantime, Canada is sending them foreign aid.”About Canadian foreign aid to China, which the bill does not touch.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “It should almost be the reverse, given our deficit, given our debt and given the fact that two million Canadians are visiting food banks and 34% of them are children.”About deficits, debt and food banks, not the forecasting strategy.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “One in four of the people visiting a food bank is a working person who cannot afford groceries.”About food bank use, not the bill.
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 “Why are we cutting essential services like weather forecasting when we are sending money to China to help out poor China?”Mentions cutting weather forecasting, but its point is the foreign aid comparison.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “It is not poor.”A remark about China’s wealth, 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 “I sat on the committee as well.”A personal aside about committee service, not the bill.
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 to budgeting, we have to take a serious look at that.”A general remark on budgeting that names no measure on forecasting.
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 have to start limiting foreign aid and keeping a lot of that money so we can help Canadians in every situation, whether we are talking about affordability, flooding or forest fires.”Mixes limiting foreign aid, which the bill does not touch, with helping Canadians facing flooding and fires.

Respect · 100

0 of 39 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 · 100

0 of 39 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.

Nothing lost points.

Claims · 8

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“Environment Canada discontinued its weather radio service on March 16”Environment Canada discontinued its weather radio service on March 16, citing increasing costs and alternatives such as smartphones and weather apps.search
2“The weather radio network reached 90% of the Canadian population”Canada’s weather radio network reached 90% of the Canadian population.search
3“replaced by other services like Alert Ready and the WeatherCAN mobile app”The weather radio service is being replaced by other services such as Alert Ready and the WeatherCAN mobile app.search
4“two million Canadians are visiting food banks and 34% of them are children”Two million Canadians are visiting food banks, and 34% of food bank visitors are children.search
5“One in four of the people visiting a food bank is a working person”One in four people visiting a food bank is a working person who cannot afford groceries.search
6“I was there during the floods in Abbotsford”The speaker was present in Abbotsford during the floods there.search
7“It is going to take two years for the government to develop a strategy”Under Bill C-241, it would take two years for the government to develop the flood and drought forecasting strategy and then present it for debate.search
8“through the Indian Act, it has jurisdiction on reserve lands”The federal government has jurisdiction over reserve lands through the Indian Act.search

Analysed on 2026-10-19