Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Luc Thériault

Bloc Québécois on Business of Supply 2026-10-22

182 words · 12 sentences · 12 clauses

Replying to Mario Simard (Bloc Québécois). The question was off topic, so this reply is judged against the motion.

“Mr. Speaker, in his excellent speech, my colleague demonstrated the government’s cowardice. Today, it is trying to pass off taking $600 million directly out of the pockets of Quebeckers and Canadians as a solution, when the fact is that the web giants make $4 billion a year. I would like my colleague to talk to us about how levies might be a better solution than what the government is currently proposing.”

Statement grade

Average 92 / 100

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

Procedure 4%Claims 79%Positioning 17%

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

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 4 wordsit is the context.Procedure Claims · 117 wordsWe are forgoing $4 billion by not standing up to the Americans and the web giants that come here and make money at our expense.³ The Liberals say this will strengthen their position in trade talks.⁵ They are prepared to make concessions.Vague promise The government talks about how much it cares about the cultural sector and says that is why it is offering $600 million in lieu of the levies.² The thing is, that $600 million is taxpayers’ money. On top of that, the government would have people believe that affordability is the reason it is not moving forward with the CRTC’s decision, even though the CRTC has the authority to impose these levies on billionaire web giants.¹ Procedure · 4 wordsThat is the problem.Procedure Positioning · 31 wordsThe government is not standing its ground. It is not being “elbows up”. Instead, it is yielding to the bully and trying to sugarcoat a bad decision with this $600 million.Positioning Claims · 26 wordsBy the way, our motion is about getting that $600 million out the door right away because the cultural industry has been waiting for 16 months.⁴

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 71

5 of 6 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 “it is the context.”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 “That is the problem.”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 “The government is not standing its ground.”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 not being “elbows up”.”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 “Instead, it is yielding to the bully and trying to sugarcoat a bad decision with this $600 million.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 6 deductions are Relevance

The question was off topic, so this reply is judged against the motion.

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 motion under debate.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · 100

0 of 6 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 · 95

1 of 6 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 “prepared to make concessions”The speaker asserts a policy flexibility without providing any details on the scope, conditions, or timing of the changes.

Claims · 5

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“the CRTC has the authority to impose these levies on billionaire web giants”The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission has the authority to impose levies on big technology companies.search
2“offering $600 million in lieu of the levies”The government offered $600 million to the cultural sector as an alternative to imposing digital services levies.search
3“$4 billion by not standing up to the Americans and the web giants that come here and make money at our expense”US web giants make $4 billion a year, according to the speaker.search
4“the cultural industry has been waiting for 16 months”The cultural industry has been waiting for the $600 million payment for 16 months.search
5“The Liberals say this will strengthen their position in trade talks”The Liberal government stated that its position in trade talks will be strengthened by not moving forward with the digital services levies.search

Analysed on 2026-10-24