What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

Recent debates

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Oral Questions

Health

A debate about PrescribeIT, a government health program launched in 2017 that didn't meet uptake or financial sustainability expectations. The Conservatives accused the Liberals of protecting insiders and blocking investigation of the program's failures. The Liberals said they were elected with a mandate to ensure programs deliver effectively and are refocusing Canada Health Infoway's mandate.

Official Hansard ↗

Burton Bailey

Conservative
“I want to claim Liberals did something bad and are hiding it. I want my party to look good by asking questions. I don't have any new facts but I want to make it sound very bad.”
Our translation 56% shorter

Maggie Chi

Liberal
“I want to defend my party. I want to make it sound like there was no choice. I want to say the other government started it. I want my ending it to sound good. I want to say 'responsible decision' a lot.”
Our translation 46% shorter

Burton Bailey

Conservative
“I don't like the government's answer. I want to make them look bad. I want to say a man was paid a lot of money. I want to say that program failed. I want to say there is a scandal. I want to blame the Liberals. I want to talk about a lot of tax money. I want to make the government look very bad.”
Our translation 35% shorter

Maggie Chi

Liberal
“I want to make our government look good. I want to say we are doing a good job. I want to say we are making things work better. I want to talk about helping everyone.”
Our translation 42% shorter

Helena Konanz

Conservative
“You Liberals wasted $300 million on PrescribeIT. Conservatives tried to investigate. But you hid the meeting and now nobody can talk about it without breaking the rules. Is hiding what you're doing for 30 years what you call transparency?”
Our translation 46% shorter

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal
“I don't want to answer your question about hiding the investigation. Let's just say the committees are important and should collaborate. Did I mention the committees are important?”
Our translation 47% shorter