What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

Recent debates

8 latest topics

Oral Questions

Finance

A debate on government finances. The Conservatives criticized the Liberals for running up debt and deficits, while the Liberals defended their economic record, pointing to specific programs and spending they said were helping Canadians.

Official Hansard ↗

Jasraj Hallan

Conservative
“I want the government to stop spending so much of taxpayers' money. The Prime Minister is spending too much and putting it all on the national credit card. He keeps spending more and more but it's not his money, it's Canadians' money. Now Canadians are left with a huge debt because of all this spending. Does the Prime Minister not understand that it's not his money to spend? Or does he just not care about how much debt he's leaving Canadians with?”
Our translation 16% shorter

Ryan Turnbull

Liberal
“The economy looks pretty good right now. The numbers are better than we thought they would be. People's wages are going up and we have a lot of investment coming in from other countries. The experts say we're doing well compared to other countries. I think our plan is working.”
Our translation 52% shorter

Jasraj Hallan

Conservative
“The deficit is huge. Way too many Canadians are poor. The government spends so much money like it will never run out. Regular people have to pay for their stupid choices. I want the Prime Minister to stop spending so much money. Let Canadians keep their own money.”
Our translation 52% shorter

Hon. Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“I want Canadians to be grateful for all the programs the government is spending money on. In that province, kids get free food, parents save thousands on child care, and people get free dental care. The government is helping so many people! Ignore the money it costs.”
Our translation 45% shorter