What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

Recent debates

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Oral Questions

Finance

During a House of Commons Finance debate, Conservatives criticized the Liberal government's spending and debt levels, arguing it is driving up costs for Canadians. Most of the discussion consisted of partisan sparring, with Liberals citing positive economic assessments and challenging Conservatives to specify what spending they would cut, while Conservatives repeatedly cited large spending and debt figures, and accused Liberals of fiscal mismanagement.

Official Hansard ↗
“I don't want to answer the question. I will just say our party is great and everything will be fine.”
Our translation 80% shorter
“The IMF said something nice about Canada. The weather is nice today. I am just filling time and associating myself with good things.”
Our translation 75% shorter
“You're asking the wrong question. Look over here instead. We have a fact from the IMF. I think you should tell your voters about it.”
Our translation 76% shorter

Hon. Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“That guy voted against our spending. I want him to say what he would cut.”
Our translation 81% shorter

Hon. Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“You talk about spending cuts. But I won't say what spending I want to cut. I just want to make you look bad. Do you want to cancel these popular programs? Go ahead, say it out loud.”
Our translation 61% shorter

Hon. Adam van Koeverden

Liberal
“I want to cheer for popular programs my party created. I want voters to feel these spending promises are at risk. If I scare voters about losing benefits they might keep voting for us.”
Our translation 68% shorter