What they said. What they meant.

Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.

Recent debates

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Government Orders

Protecting Victims Act

A very long bill to increase government power over Canadians' digital lives and data, including making it easier for the state to obtain info on people from telecom companies and online service providers. During discussion, the Conservatives nitpicked specific provisions while the Liberals talked up the bill's benefits, and both sides traded barbs about being soft on crime and supporting victims.

Official Hansard ↗

Larry Brock

Conservative
“I want to give half my speaking time to someone else.”
Our translation 56% shorter

Larry Brock

Conservative
“I'm filling time with kind words about my riding. Then I say Bill C-16 doesn't go far enough. Mandatory minimums should stay mandatory. Judges went too easy on child sex offenders. We should lock them up longer, not make sentences weaker. Judges could give one-day sentences under Bill C-16. We warned the Justice Minister his changes would cause problems. Now drug dealers get softer sentences too. We should restore the old mandatory minimums we had before.”
Our translation 94% shorter

Gurbux Saini

Liberal
“You want to use the notwithstanding clause to take away rights. You say you'll take away religious freedom. That's why you voted yes on Bill C-21. It takes away people's rights.”
Our translation 44% shorter

Larry Brock

Conservative
“You're wrong. We said we'd use notwithstanding to overrule the Supreme Court on child abuse laws.”
Our translation 74% shorter

Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois
“Do you agree with the parts of this bill that do what your committee recommended? Did you try to convince other Conservatives to support it?”
Our translation 76% shorter

Larry Brock

Conservative
“I'm not sure if that was a question. I agree that most of the bill is good for victims. Take out one part and we'd vote for all the rest.”
Our translation 67% shorter

Jeff Kibble

Conservative
“I'm filling time with kind words for my friend. The other party wants mandatory minimums but also ways to go below them. A court said how minimums can work and this bill doesn't do that. When a bad guy goes free early, who will the other party blame - the court or the bill that lets this happen?”
Our translation 50% shorter

Larry Brock

Conservative
“I want judges to get blamed. I want the government to get blamed even more. This bill is a very bad tool. Every bad guy will say the minimum penalty is too mean. Every single one will try to use that.”
Our translation 54% shorter

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal
“I want to change the subject. You don't trust judges. That's a bad look for you.”
Our translation 65% shorter

Larry Brock

Conservative
“You must support light sentences for child porn because you trust judges.”
Our translation 65% shorter

Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“We're debating this late because the Liberals want to hide their bad bills. They won't let the Privacy Commissioner testify on a privacy bill. They're protecting criminals, not victims. Mandatory minimums are a promise. Breaking that promise will make crime worse. Activists in my riding say this is a real problem.”
Our translation 97% shorter

Hon. Kevin Lamoureux

Liberal
“The judge said we can't have all our mandatory minimums. So fine, we'll add an exception to keep the rest. Why are you still complaining?”
Our translation 76% shorter

Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“You say rights and freedoms, but I think you mean criminals' rights and freedoms. Your bill adds a loophole to let violent criminals go free. That's a terrible message. Why won't you punish criminals and protect victims like I want?”
Our translation 74% shorter

Xavier Barsalou-Duval

Bloc Québécois
“I want to dig up dirt on Liberal ties to a trucking lobby. I hope you Conservatives will help me.”
Our translation 85% shorter

Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“You want me to help you criticize the Liberals? I'll think about it. First I have to complain about how the Liberals are soft on crime.”
Our translation 79% shorter

Stephanie Kusie

Conservative
“I'm fluffing up my colleague by asking his opinion on the government's handling of public safety and the justice system. I want to hear how being elected changed his perspective.”
Our translation 51% shorter

Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“I'm frustrated that the Liberals spent more time finding a way to get a majority than working with the opposition. They were supposed to respect our vision, but instead they're just pushing their own agenda. Now we have to work late because the Liberals are trying to rush through bills they didn't work on when they should have.”
Our translation 73% shorter

Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois
“I want to look like I care about protecting women, but I'm really just setting up a complaint that this bill doesn't solve everything. I'll talk a lot without saying much.”
Our translation 65% shorter

Andréanne Larouche

Bloc Québécois
“I'm talking a lot about a bill I support. I want more money for housing, shelters, and services for women who experience abuse. I want to make a normal crime really bad by calling it 'coercive control.' I say Quebec knows how to spend the money better than Canada. I hint the bill is not enough but I still support it.”
Our translation 95% shorter

Dominique O'Rourke

Liberal
“I want to praise the person who criticized our bill. I want to hurry up and pass our bill. I want to know what she wants next.”
Our translation 63% shorter