Analysis · Debate reply · beta

Michael Chong

Conservative on The Budget 2026-11-06

172 words · 9 sentences · 10 clauses

Replying to Xavier Barsalou-Duval (Bloc Québécois)

“Mr. Speaker, I congratulate my colleague on his speech. One thing that drew my attention as he spoke—probably because of my own academic training as an accountant—is everything he pointed out about deficit accounting, and what constitutes an expense, an investment or a debt. In the end, none of it makes any sense anymore. My colleague and I are not the only ones who cannot make heads nor tails of it. It would leave anyone with training in accounting, economics or finance completely in the dark. The system has become totally insane: Ottawa is using every trick in the book to hide the real status of the deficit. I agree with that. I also greatly appreciated it when he mentioned that the only indication we have now about the actual state of things is when we see the debt increasing, because it has become so hard to hide. In any case, the right approach still eludes them. My question for my colleague is this: What are the consequences of rising debt? The government keeps telling us that Canada has a AAA credit rating, but it seems to me that it has been repeating that line for a long time while deficits continue to grow. Can that really go on forever?”

Statement grade

A+

Average 97 / 100

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

Thanks 8%Claims 92%

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

Mr. Speaker, Thanks · 13 wordsI think my hon. colleague is raising an important point about the debt.Thanks Claims · 159 wordsThe problem, first off, is that the government uses different definitions of net debt in the same document. The document opens with a net debt definition used by the International Monetary Fund.¹ Later on, in the annexes, it uses a completely different definition of net debt.² In fact, it does not even refer to it as net debt but simply as debt.³ The document is very confusing and very difficult to follow, because there are so many varying definitions for various items. The second point I would make in response to my colleague’s point is that the federal government is rapidly diminishing its capacity to respond to a future crisis that the Prime Minister says, in his national security statement, could be coming.⁴ In 2008 and 2020, the federal debt stood at roughly 30% of GDP, allowing the government to spend upwards of 15% of GDP to respond to that crisis.⁵⁶ It now stands at 40% and is rising.⁷

At a glance

Lost points for
AnsweredOf this reply, 100% addressed the question or point raised.

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 89

1 of 1 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 “I think my hon. colleague is raising an important point about the debt.”Thanks: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 100

0 of 1 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 point put to the member.

Nothing lost points.

Respect · 100

0 of 1 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 1 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 · 7

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 document opens with a net debt definition used by the International Monetary Fund.”The 2026 federal budget document opens with a definition of net debt based on the International Monetary Fund’s definition.search
2“Later on, in the annexes, it uses a completely different definition of net debt.”The annexes of the 2026 federal budget document use a different definition of net debt from the one used at the start.search
3“it does not even refer to it as net debt but simply as debt”In the annexes of the 2026 federal budget document, the figure is labelled simply ‘debt’ rather than ‘net debt’.search
4“the Prime Minister says, in his national security statement, could be coming”The Prime Minister said in his national security statement that a future crisis could be coming.search
5“In 2008 and 2020, the federal debt stood at roughly 30% of GDP”Canada’s federal debt stood at roughly 30% of GDP in both 2008 and 2020.search
6“allowing the government to spend upwards of 15% of GDP to respond to that crisis”The federal government spent upwards of 15% of GDP responding to the 2008 and 2020 crises.search
7“It now stands at 40% and is rising.”Canada’s federal debt now stands at 40% of GDP and is rising.search

Analysed on 2026-11-07