 Hansard
Frequently Asked Questions
The Story of Hansard
1. What is Hansard?
2. Where does the name come from?
3. Hansard in Canada
4. Hansard in B.C.
Hansard Transcripts
5. How a transcript is made
6. Obtaining copies of Hansard transcripts
7. House and Committees
8. How do I find something in Hansard?
Legislative Television
9. When is it on?
10. What channel is it on?
11. How debates are televised
The Story of Hansard
1. What is Hansard?
Hansard is the official report of debates in the British
Columbia Legislature. Most jurisdictions in the British Commonwealth
call their official report of debates "Hansard."
In the United States the Congressional Record fulfils a similar
purpose.
Hansard is "a full report, in the first person, of
all speakers alike, which, though not strictly verbatim, is substantially
the verbatim report, with repetitions and redundancies omitted
and with obvious mistakes corrected, but which on the other hand
leaves out nothing that adds to the meaning of the speech or illustrates
the argument."
That statement of Hansard policy was written in 1907 for the U.K.
Parliament at Westminster, but it continues to apply today in Hansard
offices throughout the Commonwealth.
2. Where does the name "Hansard" come
from?
The name "Hansard" originated with Luke Hansard and his
son Thomas, who were printers to the British House of Commons in
the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hansard was operated by
the Hansard family as a (highly unsuccessful) business until 1889.
They faced stiff competition from journalists such as Charles Dickens,
who was a parliamentary reporter before he became a novelist.
Reporting was journalistic; it paraphrased the debate, with a sprinkling
of direct quotations. Today's Hansard, produced entirely
under legislative authority, is a full, accurate and impartial report
of legislative proceedings.
3. Hansard in Canada
The Canadian House of Commons has had a full, publicly financed
Hansard report since 1880. Britain's Hansard did not
become fully publicly financed until 1908.
Canada's Hansard, however, almost died an early death. In
1881, the year after it was established, an opposition member proposed
that it be abolished. The Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald,
rose in his place and delivered a ringing defence:
"As a matter of history, it is of the very greatest importance
that the remarks of every hon. member, who has a responsibility
as the representative of the people should, if we can afford it
— and we can afford it — be as fully recorded
in the official report as those of a leader. I hope we shall not
commit such a great mistake, I hope we shall not make such a relapse
into barbarism as to throw over the only means by which after
generations shall be able to learn what were the subjects of interest
engaging our attention, what was the style of speaking and the
style of thought, and what were the moving impulses of the people
and their representatives in Parliament."
More of Sir John A.'s remarks can be seen on the Hansard
Association of Canada's web site.
4. Hansard in B.C.
B.C.'s Hansard was not instituted until 1970 and did not
become a complete report — including the debates of budget
estimates (Committee of Supply) and clause-by-clause debate of bills
(Committee of the Whole) — until 1972. Until 1970, B.C. had
only the Journals of the House; these remain, as in most
Legislatures, the official record of what motions were debated and
passed.
Hansard Transcripts
5. How a transcript is produced
Sittings of the Legislature are recorded digitally as computer
audio files. Each file covers five minutes of the proceedings. A
digital backup recording is also made, and the video tape record
is a second backup.
A Hansard editor makes a careful draft transcript of this five-minute
segment of the sitting. These draft transcripts are knitted together
and uploaded to the Internet in batches as they are done. Words
spoken in the House appear on the internet within about an hour.
This first version of the transcript is known as the Blues, after
the blue paper used for the cover of its printed version. Printed
versions of the complete Blues transcript are produced for the use
of MLAs after most sittings.
A second editor checks each five-minute transcript for accuracy,
listening to the audio again. A senior editor then assembles the
full transcript and reads it through to ensure consistency. Throughout
the process, Hansard's research department works with editors to
verify the accuracy of names, titles and quotations.
Hansard's publishing department then formats the final transcript
of each sitting for printing and for the Web. The final transcript
is checked over and then posted to the Internet and printed by the
Queen's Printer for B.C. on the morning of the day following the
sitting.
6. Obtaining copies of Hansard transcripts
Both subscriptions and individual transcripts may be ordered from:
Crown Publications Inc., 521 Fort Street, Victoria BC, Canada V8V
1E7; phone 250-386-4636, fax -0221. The price for a single issue
is C$2.85 (plus GST and $2 shipping) and for an annual subscription,
mailed daily, is C$298 (plus GST only). Transcripts may also be available from the constituency office of your local MLA
or through your local library.
7. House and Committees
General meetings of MLAs in the chamber of the Legislature are
known as sittings of the House. When debating the budgetary estimates
of government departments, meetings are sometimes held in a committee
room of the Legislature. These meetings are known as meetings of
Committee A. When estimates are debated in the chamber, the
meetings are known as meetings of Committee B.
In addition to debates of the House and estimates committees, Hansard
Services also produces transcripts of the Legislature's select standing
committees and special committees. See the Legislature's Committees
page for more information. There is also a Legislative Committees
search page from which you can search transcripts of committee
proceedings. Committee transcripts are not indexed.
8. How do I find something in Hansard?
See the Hansard Services help page. It
is possible that what you remember an MLA saying was said in the
media or elsewhere, rather than in the House or a committee. In
that case, you will not find it in Hansard. Try a general
Web search, search a media outlet's web site or contact your local
media outlet or the MLA's office
for help.
Hansard Television
9. When is it on?
The legislative television broadcast schedule is available here.
10. What channel is it on?
The legislative television channel guide is available here.
11. How debates are televised.
Please visit the About Legislative Television
page for information about televising of legislative proceedings.
E-mail: hansard.services@leg.bc.ca
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