Deschênes-Thériault focuses on promoting government spending programs, especially ones that benefit his riding directly. He frequently fills time with positive but vague statements about bills without committing to details. When challenged, he tends to deflect to praising other government actions rather than addressing the specifics raised.
“I'm filling time by saying nice things about being thorough and factual. I'm not actually making a point about the bill.”
“I don't want to answer your question about my bill. Instead you should defend something a Conservative MP said yesterday. That will make me look better and avoid your question.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later. A Conservative member said something bad. I want to remind everyone the hate bill is important.”
“I want this bill because it shows we are combating hate. No one should feel unsafe. We need to make Canada safe for everyone.”
“I don't want to stay silent. I want to condemn symbols I don't like. A noose should be a hate symbol. Parliament should ban more things.”
“Hate crimes are bad. I need to look like I'm doing something about it. This bill adds the noose as a hate symbol. I don't like what the other party said about it. The other party is too partisan. We all need to work together to pass this bill and stop hate.”
“Nobody should feel unsafe because of who they are or where they worship. Hate crimes are rising in Canada. I think we should work together and pass this legislation before summer. Let's set partisanship aside.”
“I want the minister to say how the government will spend more taxpayer money to help young people in my riding get jobs. Then I can take credit and look good.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later. Let me talk about a temporary pilot project from 2018 instead of the EI reform my party promised in 2015 and 2019 and again in the 2021 budget and still hasn't delivered.”
“I want to talk about the issue of food. I want to strengthen Canada's food sovereignty. I want more Canadian food on our plates. I want us to invest in local farmers. I want to support greenhouses.”
“I want to make my riding happy. I will spend money on programs in my riding. I will list many programs in my riding. I think this will make me look good.”
“I want you to agree that our government is doing a good job on crime. We made promises and now we have bills with numbers. Please say that these bills with numbers are good and we're keeping our promises.”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later.”
“I want to cheer for our elections and pass this bill. If we change some rules and pass this bill, everyone will trust us. Voters will trust all of us. We need to keep changing the rules to stay in control. Passing this bill is very important.”
“I want foreign influence pushed out of our democratic system. Our elections need to have integrity. Bill C-25 will help strengthen the political financing system in Canada.”
“I'm filling time with praise for how great our elections already are. Then I say we need to pass this bill to fix our elections. I talk a lot about how bad it is when too many people run and make the ballot too long. The real point is I want this bill to make it harder for fringe candidates and easier for big-party candidates. I want to ban fake videos of candidates and election officials. I want to add lots more rules on hacking, foreign money, and how parties raise and spend money. I say this is all very careful and reasonable.”
