What they said. What they meant.

“I want to limit debate on this bill to five more hours. After that, no more talk. Just vote on it immediately with no changes.”

“I want the opposition to work more. I don't care about their complaints. They should do what I want. I want this bill passed.”

“I think my colleague works hard. But our votes still need to be of equal value in different places.”

“I'm filling time with kind words about the river. Conservatives want to delay bills. I want this bill to pass to change election rules.”

“That's an important principle. The Supreme Court allows some variation in riding populations and size, but in a democracy one vote should carry roughly the same weight as another. The Quebec National Assembly identified a problem but didn't solve it. I don't have much to say about their solution.”

“I want to talk about the games Conservatives play to obstruct and waste time. They say they want to sit late, but then they try to adjourn early. They tried to adjourn twice on a bill for crime legislation. I think they're just trying to prevent legislation from passing. Can the House leader explain why it's important that we deliver for Canadians?”

“I want to pass many crime bills. I want to protect victims and children. The opposition is being creative to obstruct these bills. The opposition voted against prolonging House hours to get more done for Canadians. I think that's intriguing.”

“I'm saying that MPs are working hard and cooperating on this bill. The opposition parties helped improve the bill. I want Canadians to see Parliament agreeing on something.”

“I'm filling time by naming a past protection that doesn't really answer your question. I don't want to be pinned down on whether to add even more ridings or whether that's necessary.”

“There is already a law for deciding how many seats each riding gets. Stop complaining. Riders in big ridings have to work harder. It's a challenge but it's fine.”

“I too think the old musician is Good. Ignore this useless padding and take pity on me.”

“Canada is good but could be better. We should look at political donations, especially crypto. Maybe the minister has thoughts.”

“Canada already has very strict donation limits and corporations and unions can't donate. But people might use crypto to get around the rules. This bill will stop that.”

“Thanks for explaining why this election bill is being rushed through. We're just implementing the recommendations that we're given after each election.”

“That's a good question but I want to dodge it. Elections are fair. The inquiry said so. I want to look like I care about digital security and I'm willing to talk more, but everything is fine. No need to worry.”

“The Conservatives are just obstructionists. They're blocking our spending and policing bills. I want those bills to pass. We're working together to change election rules. We all agree on the rules. That makes people trust elections.”

“I don't want to talk about the question you actually asked. Let me talk about music instead. We tried to change the election system before but people disagreed. I think our democracy is fine. We are making a few tiny changes.”

“I'm going to praise Elections Canada a bunch so it sounds like I'm saying a lot. Then I'll trail off into vague talk about how our election bill came from consensus. I'm not actually asking my colleague a real question, I'm just giving him an opening to repeat his talking points some more.”

“I want to make it look like I'm very concerned and doing important work. I won't give any specifics, I'll just use vague scary terms like misinformation and deepfakes. It makes me look good to say we all agree on this.”

“I want to end by thanking members from all parties who are supporting this bill. I'm sure it will pass with a lot of votes.”