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MPs split on whether AI should be used in House of Commons

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Ritchie, S., & Baxter, D. (2026, September 25). MPs split on whether AI should be used in House of Commons. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/mps-split-on-whether-ai-should-be-used-in-house-of-commons/article_586e141a-e2cd-5019-9891-027cb7c6ebc2.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-25 · by Sarah Ritchie, David Baxter

Quick Summary

MPs in Ottawa are divided over the use of artificial intelligence in parliamentary proceedings, with some acknowledging it as a research tool and others opposing it on principle or practical grounds. According to a recent report by The Economist, up to 20% of speeches and questions in the House of Commons were flagged as AI-generated in late 2025, making Canada second only to the UK in this regard among surveyed legislatures. This disclosure has sparked debate with some MPs like Sandra Cobena endorsing careful use while others, such as Greg Fergus, reject it entirely for creative engagement purposes.
Written by AI on 2026-09-25, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In OTTAWA, Members of Parliament are divided over the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in legislative proceedings, following a report by The Economist that up to 20% of statements made in the House of Commons in late 2025 were flagged as AI-generated. The publication analyzed speeches and questions from MPs using a detection tool named Pangram, comparing results with other countries like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, finding Canada had the second-highest rate of AI use.

While some MPs deny ever using AI to draft parliamentary statements, others acknowledge its utility for research. Conservative MP Sandra Cobena admitted that everyone is likely using AI as a research tool but emphasized the importance of cautious application. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Luc Berthold noted widespread usage and found AI helpful for crafting sentences though it often fails to capture his intended expression accurately.

Written for “AI Use In Parliament Debated” on 2026-10-30, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 AI Use In Parliament Debated
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 14% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Global News
Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 63/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI usage: one in Canadian courtrooms and the other in the House of Commons.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of artificial intelligence in politics but describe distinct events: one about AI as an issue for U.S. midterm voters and another about Canadian MPs debating its use.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 3 of 12 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI regulation and usage; one is about international safeguards on AI, while the other concerns its use in the House of Commons.”
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles describe different events: one about Australia's Prime Minister signing an international declaration on AI at the UN, and another about MPs in Canada debating the use of AI in their parliamentary sessions.”
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans strongly left Hedges 5 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI's impact on politics in distinct contexts: one focuses on US populism and speeches by Sanders and Bannon, while the other addresses Canadian MPs' concerns about AI use in parliamentary proceedings.”
ABC News (AU)
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 45 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of artificial intelligence in politics: one focuses on international cooperation to manage AI risks, while the other addresses the use of AI within the House of Commons.”
BBC News
Hedges 3 of 37 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different events - one about the UK's stance on disinformation and AI standards at the UN, and another about MPs' debate on AI usage in the House of Commons.”
The Hindu
Hedges 2 of 17 claims Outlet record 60/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI usage and regulation in government contexts, but describe distinct events occurring at different times and places.”
Global News
Hedges 0 of 8 claims Outlet record 63/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI regulation and usage in Canada, not a single specific incident.”
The Globe and Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 6 claims Outlet record 52/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of AI usage and regulation in Canada without describing the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
22
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
14%
3 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 10443 article(s) · 27 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 27 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

Sarah Ritchie
17 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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🔮 Her caucus colleague Luc Berthold agreed its use is widespread and said he uses it for research. “If the sentence is really good, I will probably put it and use it,” he said. But the technology usually can’t capture the way he wants to express himself, he added.
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David Baxter
25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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Topics

Economist Liberal OTTAWA Parliament the House of Commons

Subjects

Liberal NORP · 4× the House of Commons ORG · 3× OTTAWA GPE · 2× Parliament ORG · 2× Reid PERSON · 2× Australia GPE · 1× Economist ORG · 1× New Zealand GPE · 1× the United Kingdom GPE · 1× the United States GPE · 1×

Narrative

The publication studied comments, speeches and questions from MPs of more than 100 words, as recorded in Hansard, and ran them through the AI detector tool Pangram. It compared the results from different countries, including legislatures in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and found Canada had the second-highest rate of AI use.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-25
🔮 Her caucus colleague Luc Berthold agreed its use is widespread and said he uses it for research. “If the sentence is really good, I will probably put it and use it,” he said. But the technology usually can’t capture the way he wants to express himself, he added.
2026-09-25 · Toronto Star
MPs split on whether AI should be used in House of Commons · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 3 hedged)

Members of Parliament are split on whether — and how — artificial intelligence should be used by lawmakers following a report that said the technology is being used to write a significant amount of what MPs say in the House of Commons. asserted
MPs → split → Commons
The Economist reported this week that as much as 20 per cent of what was said on the floor of the House of Commons in late 2025 was flagged as AI-generated. asserted
what → report → 2025
The publication studied comments, speeches and questions from MPs of more than 100 words, as recorded in Hansard, and ran them through the AI detector tool Pangram. It compared the results from different countries, including legislatures in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and found Canada had the second-highest rate of AI use. asserted
Canada → study → use
Some MPs in Ottawa flatly denied using AI tools to generate what they say in Parliament, while others said it can be useful for research. asserted
it → deny → research
“I think everybody’s using artificial intelligence,” said Conservative MP Sandra Cobena, who called it a great research tool but said it has to be used with care. asserted
it → think → care
She said the Conservative party does not have specific rules on the use of AI to generate speeches or comments for MPs but “it is expected that everybody uses it responsibly.” “Of course parliamentarians are using it,” she said. asserted
she → say → it
Her caucus colleague Luc Berthold agreed its use is widespread and said he uses it for research. “If the sentence is really good, I will probably put it and use it,” he said. But the technology usually can’t capture the way he wants to express himself, he added. asserted
he → agree → himself
“Quebecers, we have a lot of emotion, and AI doesn’t have any,” he said. asserted
he → have → any
Liberal MP Greg Fergus said he’s “an analog man” and he wouldn’t know how to use the technology. asserted
he → say → technology
“For actually creatively engaging, in a place where we’re supposed to be talking about our laws and representing our folks, no, I don’t think it’s useful,” he said. asserted
he → engage → folks
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said he would prefer it if MPs weren’t using AI-generated text but he doesn’t have an issue with it. asserted
he → say → it
Fellow Liberal Ben Carr also said he’s not a user of AI because he wants to speak in his own voice. asserted
he → say → voice
He said that while he thinks using AI to generate an entire speech would be “somewhat problematic,” there’s nothing wrong with using it to collect your thoughts. asserted
using → say → thoughts
“We want people to be representing their communities as best as they can. asserted
they → want → communities
And it doesn’t mean that you can’t represent your community by using the assistance of artificial intelligence to generate your thoughts and your views and your perspectives,” he said. asserted
he → mean → thoughts
Conservative MP Scott Reid said he used the tool on Friday to find information quickly in the middle of question period. asserted
he → say → period
Reid said a Liberal member across the aisle was “heckling so loud that I could barely hear myself think” as he asked a question. uncertain
he → say → question
Reid said he consulted AI to ask which Standing Order — the rules that govern the House of Commons — would be violated by the interruption so he could report that to the clerk. uncertain
he → say → clerk
The Green Party said its MPs are independent and party rules don’t allow the leader or anyone else in the party to dictate how a member carries out their duties. asserted
member → say → duties
”(Leader) Elizabeth (May) herself is very concerned about artificial intelligence and is deeply committed to avoiding AI in both her personal life and her role as an MP,” said party spokesperson Bianca Crêtes. uncertain
Crêtes → commit → MP
A spokesperson for the New Democrats said the party is developing a policy on AI usage for MP offices and is working with the union that represents its parliamentary staff. asserted
that → say → staff
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026. asserted
report → publish → Press
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