The speech that Prime Minister Harper delivered On Nov. 30, 2008 as a response to the Speech from the Throne places the most emphasis on key-words such as “Government,” “Canada,” and “economic.” Harper’s speech addressed Canadians’ concerns regarding volatile global markets. Many words used in his speech have some sort of economic ramifications, words such as “fiscal,” “investment,” “deficits,” and “bank” appear with varying emphasis.

Harper also focuses on his recent successful reelection. He places considerable emphasis on the continuity of his government with words such as: “mandate,” “continue,” “ensure,” and “commitment.”  

Jack Layton, in his response on the same day, placed a considerable emphasis on the global economic crisis. Keywords such as “economy,” “economic,” and “deficits” appear within his speech. Furthermore, these words carry similar weight to the corresponding words used in Harper’s speech. Layton, however, used a greater variety of verbs as compared to Harper. Layton placed emphasis on verbs such as “invest,” “protect,” change,” “take,” “begin,” “get,” et cetera.

Layton’s overall emphasis on families is apparent in this visualization, the word “families” has a prominent position in his speech. Furthermore, “table” can be seen in the visualization, albeit in a relatively small word. When Layton refers to the “table,” he does so as part of the phrase: “putting food on the table.” He is not however, referring directly to the phrase “kitchen table,” a phrase which has permeated his election campaign.

Lastly, Layton appears to place an inordinate emphasis on courtesy, words such as “Mr,” “speaker,” and “Throne” suggest that Layton’s speech is particularly courteous and polite. In fact, his speech addresses the House Speaker no less than seven times, while Harper’s much longer speech addresses the House Speaker only five times.

(Visualization created through the use of http://www.wordle.net/)