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Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

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In a debate about Canada's struggling economy, Liberal MPs insisted everything is fine and accused Conservatives of fearmongering, while Conservatives pointed to concerning economic indicators and rising costs of living. MPs from both sides shared anecdotes from their ridings and traded partisan jabs.

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Mario Beaulieu

Bloc Québécois
“The Conservatives say things are really bad. The Liberals say everything is fine. But downgrades, low growth, and a big deficit suggest they're both wrong.”
Our translation 74% shorter

Sébastien Lemire

Bloc Québécois
“I'm going to make a little joke about my costume so everyone knows I'm not the other guy. Then I'll bring up a scary risk that someone else in your party mentioned. I want to look smart by repeating it, but I won't explain it myself. I'll just say that GDP growth was bad and hope it makes my opponents look bad.”
Our translation 34% shorter

Sébastien Lemire

Bloc Québécois
“I want to look smart by saying numbers. I think mentioning stocks might worry people. I don't know if this is normal but asking might make you think something is wrong.”
Our translation 52% shorter

Martin Champoux

Bloc Québécois
“Your speech was great until you started pushing the same old Conservative obsession with oil and gas. I agree young people are leaving and towns are dying. The government doesn't get it or have real solutions. I want to hear your actual ideas to fix this. But you can't just say electing Conservatives would magically solve everything. That's not a real answer.”
Our translation 68% shorter