Government Orders
Business of Supply
“I don't want to answer your question. Instead I will repeat talking points about how Canada leads in investment. We will have a summit to attract more investment.”
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
Hon. François-Philippe Champagne
Champagne is a cheerleader for the Liberal government, frequently touting Canada's economic growth and the government's spending on programs and investments. He often deflects criticism by accusing the Conservatives of talking down the economy and highlights the government's 'generational investments' in housing, infrastructure, and innovation. He is skilled at filling time with kind words and praise for his colleagues while avoiding committing to specific actions or answering questions directly.
“I want to say something my colleague will like. 'Canada Leads the G7 in Direct Investment Inflows Per Capita'. We're way ahead of the United States. The investments we're making will attract even more investment.”
“I'm saying the CEOs I talk to like Canada. I think they like how predictable and stable we are. Look, Shell invested a lot here. That means we're an energy superpower.”
“Look, people with money are giving it to us. That means we're doing good.”
“You're praising Canada's investment but I want to change the subject to approval delays. I think the government is doing a great job. We just need to give them more power and more taxpayer money. Anyone who disagrees must hate investment.”
“I'm changing the subject to talk about Canada's good points instead of answering the question.”
“Let me dodge that and throw out some big numbers about a completely different kind of investment.”
“I want Canada to play a bigger role in the world's energy security. I'm filling time with vague talk about redesigning energy ecosystems.”
“I'm filling time until I can change the subject. I don't want to admit TMX was expensive.”
“I won't say how long TMX took. I'll just list other good news and hope you forget the question.”
“I'm saying words that sound like I agree with you, but I'm just filling space to avoid admitting anything.”
“Forget our own Business Council blaming regulation. I'll talk about something else. Other people say world investors like Canada and its energy. That's good. We'll build Canada strong together.”
“I don't want to admit any blame for money leaving Canada. Instead I will flatter Canadians about all the past decades of investment. Then I will bring up irrelevant facts about world uncertainty to dodge your question.”
“I don't want to answer your specific question about investment leaving Canada under my watch. Let me change the subject to how great our high spending and low business taxes are instead.”
“I won't say if the money leaving is okay. Instead I'll just talk about investors liking how Canada is stable and predictable.”
“I want to talk about something that makes me look good instead of answering your question.”
“I won't admit to any mistakes. The economy isn't doing as badly as some people expected, so I'm going to talk about how strong and resilient everyone is instead of answering the question.”
“That's a good point. I want to spend more money on cold storage. I saw a big cold storage facility and was impressed. They load a lot of lobster quickly. This is important work. I will answer questions because I am happy to talk about spending money.”
“We are spending a lot of money on small fishing harbours. This member helped make that happen. I want to thank him publicly. I am proud of the money we are spending.”
“We need to study whether selling off airports would really make money. But we might do it anyway if we want.”