Commons opens debate on employment insurance changes

Other moments

Question Period, exchange by exchange

AI-rated Each answer’s rating (answered, partly answered, deflected, answered something else) is a model’s reading of the exchange. How the AI rates this

1. deflected
   HealthMr. Todd Russell (Liberal) asked John Baird (Conservative). loaded question.Answer agrees on insensitivity but avoids apology or responsibility by pivoting to an inquiry.The Minister of Health has ordered her department to conduct a thorough and immediate inquiry into this matter, and the results of that inquiry will be made public.
2. deflected
   HealthMr. Todd Russell (Liberal) asked John Baird (Conservative). loaded question.Answer agrees on insensitivity but avoids addressing trust or systemic failure by repeating the inquiry pledge.The Minister of Health put out a statement earlier today in which she was very clear that she finds this act to be totally inappropriate.
3. partly answered
   HealthAnita Neville (Liberal) asked Chuck Strahl (Conservative). loaded question.Answer shares outrage and lists funding programs but sidesteps the body-bag incident specifics.We have an extensive program. For example, we announced $330 million in the budget for waste water treatment.
4. misdirected
   HealthMr. Marcel Proulx (Liberal) asked Chuck Strahl (Conservative). loaded question.Answer attacks the prior Liberal record on water systems instead of addressing stalled H1N1 preparations.When we came to office we had 197 communities with high-risk water systems that we inherited from the Liberal Party.
5. deflected
   HealthMr. Marcel Proulx (Liberal) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.Answer highlights general leadership and measures but ignores the specific Vancouver Island testing and help timeline.In recent days they have announced specific measures, giving priority to those communities which are the most vulnerable, and that is as it should be.
6. partly answered
   Canada-U.S. RelationsMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stockwell Day (Conservative). substantive question.Answer notes ongoing talks with the President but does not clarify the distinction between the act and the plan.We also have solutions, which are supported by municipalities across Canada.
7. partly answered
   Canada-U.S. RelationsMr. Gilles Duceppe (Bloc) asked Stockwell Day (Conservative). substantive question.Answer stresses balance and municipal support but does not address negative impacts on SMEs.Thus, they could have American representation and their companies, their businesses, could also present their infrastructure programs to the United States.
8. deflected
   Canada-U.S. RelationsMr. Pierre Paquette (Bloc) asked Stockwell Day (Conservative). substantive question.Answer cites municipal and provincial support but avoids engaging the all-or-nothing risk or softwood precedent.We also have the support of Quebec's Premier Charest, who was a leader in developing the program.
9. deflected
   Canada-U.S. RelationsMr. Pierre Paquette (Bloc) asked Stockwell Day (Conservative). substantive question.The answer avoids the question about NAFTA exemptions by shifting to general opportunities and mayors.Maybe the member should talk to those mayors.
10. partly answered
    HealthJack Layton (NDP) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.The response condemns the incident and pledges investigation but does not outline a plan or timeline for collaboration.The Minister of Health will do just that, and she will make it public.
11. misdirected
    HealthJack Layton (NDP) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's comments instead of addressing the request for a plan.I do not think the leader of the NDP is putting much light on it and he does not do himself any service by his comments at the outset of that question.
12. partly answered
    HealthJack Layton (NDP) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.Responds by describing ongoing meetings and commitments but does not present a concrete plan as requested.As we speak, the Minister of Health is meeting with her provincial and territorial colleagues to work on dealing with this challenge.
13. deflected
    Employment InsuranceMarlene Jennings (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). loaded question.The answer discusses proposals to a panel without addressing the accuracy of the government's numbers or trust issues.However, the Liberals ignored them and wanted to speak only of one thing: the idea of a 45-hour work week, which is unacceptable.
14. misdirected
    Employment InsuranceMarlene Jennings (Liberal) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). loaded question.The response shifts focus to criticizing the Liberals' actions rather than clarifying the proposals or numbers.The Liberals had no interest in that. They had no interest in helping the unemployed.
15. answered
    Employment InsuranceJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Mr. Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.Directly answers "no" to whether it is a tax increase and explains the context of the EI fund.the simple answer to that is no.
16. deflected
    Employment InsuranceJohn McCallum (Liberal) asked Mr. Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.The answer states that the board will decide without providing any estimate of the increase.We will leave that up to the board.
17. deflected
    Employment InsuranceMr. Yves Lessard (Bloc) asked Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Conservative). loaded question.The answer pivots to long-tenured worker measures and attacks opposition parties rather than addressing the cited eligibility statistics.Of course, the Bloc Québécois seems to have a great deal of difficulty helping workers, but we do not.
18. partly answered
    Employment InsuranceMrs. Josée Beaudin (Bloc) asked Jean-Pierre Blackburn (Conservative). substantive question.The answer explains coverage for seasonal workers under regional rules but dismisses the broader claim of discrimination without engaging Quebec-specific data.The member mentioned seasonal workers. They are already covered by the current EI system, according to regional standards.
19. answered
    Aboriginal AffairsMr. Marc Lemay (Bloc) asked Chuck Strahl (Conservative). loaded question.The answer directly acknowledges the body-bag incident as outrageous and states that Health is investigating while listing other actions taken.on the incident itself, we have already expressed our sense of outrage that we share with others in the House on what happened.
20. deflected
    Aboriginal AffairsMr. Marc Lemay (Bloc) asked Chuck Strahl (Conservative). loaded question.The answer ignores the UN declaration question and instead lists unrelated domestic programs as proof of action.That is why we have made significant investment in housing.
21. misdirected
    IndustryMr. Marc Garneau (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the questioner's use of U.S. dollars and accuses Liberals of changing laws rather than explaining the $149 million threshold decision.The hon. member should know we in fact want to follow our laws.
22. deflected
    IndustryMr. Marc Garneau (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). substantive question.The answer reframes the issue as protectionism versus rule of law without addressing the knowledge-economy or IP threshold concerns raised.We cannot change the rules of the game, the rules of business, to suit the Liberals' protectionist and nativist impact on the country.
23. misdirected
    IndustryGeoff Regan (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). loaded question.The answer attacks the Montreal Liberal for not speaking for Ericsson employees and accuses the party of playing games instead of addressing RIM jobs in Nova Scotia.I find it interesting that the member who represents the Montreal riding is not asking that question because there are hundreds of employees of Ericsson in his riding.
24. deflected
    IndustryMr. Francis Valeriote (Liberal) asked Tony Clement (Conservative). loaded question.The answer defends applying the law equally and warns of reciprocal effects abroad but does not address the specific Nortel or southern Ontario job losses cited.If we did not do so, if we sided with the protectionist impulses of the Liberal Party, the effect would be that when RIM or other companies went across the border or around the world seeking to do their own foreign investment, those countries would say, "You are not doing the same in your country.
25. deflected
    PovertyMr. Tony Martin (NDP) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer blames prior government and cites past data rather than addressing future actions.That is because it happened up until 2005, if we check the data, under the Liberals.
26. deflected
    PovertyMs. Olivia Chow (NDP) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer shifts focus to past coalition and prior data instead of responding to HST funding proposal.the member is citing from the same report that ended in 2005 while there was the NDP coalition with the Liberals.
27. deflected
    Lobster FisheryMr. Raynald Blais (Bloc) asked Gail Shea (Conservative). substantive question.Answer denies the premise without addressing plan revisions or Quebec-specific concerns.we certainly are not penalizing any fishermen.
28. answered
    TransportMr. Raynald Blais (Bloc) asked John Baird (Conservative). substantive question.Answer directly engages the request by offering to examine renewal of the link.I would be pleased to work with the member opposite and to look into what we might do to help his constituents and constituents on the east coast of Canada.
29. misdirected
    AgricultureWayne Easter (Liberal) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). loaded question.Answer quotes supporters instead of addressing the debt-transfer claim and uses loaded premise in question.I guess the answer is best said in the words of hog producers themselves.
30. partly answered
    AgricultureWayne Easter (Liberal) asked Gerry Ritz (Conservative). loaded question.Answer outlines program elements but evades the specific scam allegation built into the loaded question.We put $17 million in marketing of hog products around the world.
31. deflected
    SeniorsMr. Wayne Marston (NDP) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer lists existing programs instead of committing to CPI adjustment for regional costs.we increased the GIS exemption from $500 to $3,500 which provides more money for 1.6 million seniors.
32. deflected
    SeniorsMr. Wayne Marston (NDP) asked Diane Finley (Conservative). substantive question.Answer describes consultations but avoids committing to an emergency summit on pensions.
33. deflected
    FisheriesMr. Scott Simms (Liberal) asked Gail Shea (Conservative). substantive question.The answer defends past actions and Liberal neglect instead of addressing the current NAFO deal concerns.When our government inherited management of the international fisheries, the situation in the northwest Atlantic was desperate after years of Liberal neglect.
34. deflected
    Harmonized Sales TaxMr. Jean-Yves Laforest (Bloc) asked Christian Paradis (Conservative). substantive question.The answer repeats negotiation talking points and mocks repetition rather than addressing the compensation claim.If the member wants to ask the same question 15 more times, he will get the same answer every time, because negotiations are being conducted in good faith.
35. misdirected
    Harmonized Sales TaxMs. Jean Crowder (NDP) asked Mr. Ted Menzies (Conservative). substantive question.The answer attacks the NDP's past votes instead of addressing the HST burden on homebuyers.Every tax cut that this government has proposed, the NDP has opposed.
36. deflected
    Business of the HouseRalph Goodale (Liberal) asked Jay Hill (Conservative). substantive question.The answer criticizes the asker for grandstanding and notes procedural meetings instead of addressing the requested debate.Perhaps I could begin by expressing my disappointment, as I did this morning in a point of order, on the grandstanding that seems to now be commonplace from this particular member.