“I'm in good health. I ran today. Let's keep going.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
Recent debates
8 latest topics
Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act
57 statements
Spring Economic Update 2026 Implementation Act
19 statements
Arab Heritage Month Act
5 statements
The Economy
15 statements
Government Priorities
2 statements
Government Priorities
2 statements
Housing
12 statements
The Environment
2 statements
Government Orders
Business of Supply
A wide-ranging bill to implement the Spring 2026 Economic Update, touching on everything from tax deductions for tradespeople to aviation fuel taxes to beer excise duty rates. In 5 hours of debate, MPs mostly grilled the Finance Minister on unrelated topics like ride-sharing regulation, StatsCan data collection, and election promises from 2015. Some substantive questions were asked about domestic investment levels and the bill's housing provisions, but mostly talk went in circles without many direct answers.
“I want that to sound good. I like my constituents to see me. I want them to think I am just like them.”
“I'm glad I knew the common price of an item. That could have been embarrassing.”
“I want to joke around and avoid your question about grocery prices.”
“You and I both come from rural communities. I'm filling time by saying I care about affordability. My real point is to remind you that our government gave Canadians money during the pandemic.”
“I'll pretend I answered your question about Quebec by talking about big cities instead.”
“I don't have the numbers in front of me. I'll send you some data later to back up what I'm saying.”
“I want to change the subject to a different stat that looks better for us.”
“Housing prices are going down. That's good. For the space launch pad, just look how cool it is! We can reach space from Canada. You should be happy we're spending so much money on it.”
“I don't want to answer the question. I want to change the subject to something that makes my government look good.”
“I'm glad you asked that question because it lets me repeat a talking point. I want to brag that the deficit is $11 billion lower than predicted in the budget. I'll even tell you the IMF thinks we're doing great. I want you to go tell your voters how great we're doing.”
“The Parliamentary Budget Officer says our fiscal position is sustainable and we're on track to meet our targets. I'm going to quote him because that makes me look good.”
“I want the member to celebrate our spending. We spent a little less than the most money ever. We are managing the public purse. I'm sure everyone wants this.”
“You say we have lots of debt, but other countries have more debt. I say that means we did a good job.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”
“I like that you brought up the gas tax holiday. It's a good thing that helps Canadians! The price of crude is a big part of gas prices and it's been going up.”
“I'm filling time by quoting someone official saying there's a crisis.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”